Mattie Collins, age eighteen, marries her third husband, a forty-year-old man she mistakenly believes she knows. When his mind-games begin, this spirited young women rises to the challenge. Soon faced with the worst tragedy imaginable, she makes a decision that changes her life forever. Madelon Phillips holds a BA in creative writing from San Francisco State University, as well as a secondary teaching credential and a teaching minor in math from the University of California, Berkeley. Madelon studied method acting with Jean Shelton in her San Francisco Studio and acting transitioned into writing. A former math teacher, her debut novel, Twig, was inspired by her own life.