Kelly Marino was born and raised in Buena Park, California, in 1962, where she grew up believing in love at first sight, and devoured every romance novel she could find. The moment she did meet the love of her life at the age of 19, she fell instantly in love, got married, and moved with her new husband to his home town of Staten Island, New York. Fast-forward 30 years: Still married to her Prince Charming, Kelly is a retired Master Cake Decorator, and works as a Graphic Designer at Atlantic Express, the third largest provider of transportation for school children in the US. Kelly and her husband live with their two kids in Staten Island, where she dreams of being able to write full time, works more hours than she would like, and spends far too much time driving on the island's bumpy streets and roads, swerving around all the rogue potholes. Kelly is currently working on the sequel to Into The Hourglass, and she welcomes comments from her readers.