Maria Keffler earned a B.A. in professional writing and secondary English education at Purdue University in 1991, and completed her masters degree in educational psychology in 1992. She taught English as a foreign language in Japan for 1995-99, and has since taught classes in English and English as a Second Language at The Falls Church Anglican and Harvester Teaching Services. Maria has published a number of books, both fiction and nonfiction. She currently lives in Arlington, VA with her husband and three teenagers.