Z. Allora never expected to share her words with anyone, but things don't always work out as planned. Growing up in Upstate NY, she was a tomboy: playing basketball in the park, twirling a rifle in color guard, but composing stories filled with angst in secret. She didn't always believe in romance, although before giving up on it completely, she took out a personal ad in a college newspaper. On October 20, 1987, at 5:08 PM, she found what she didn't think existed, and married her best friend five years later. A bit of an overachiever, Z. received three bachelor's degrees (Psychology, English, and Philosophy) and a master's degree in Psychology. She loved enhancing the quality of life of people in her residential and day programs, but her love's job swept Z. overseas to Singapore, Israel, and China. While living in China, she discovered M/M romance and a new world opened. The magic of the genre gave her new insights about herself and those around her. When she saw protests in Malaysia by parents who genuinely believed watching a singer could make their children gay, the ignorance was too staggering to ignore. No longer content to keep her words to herself, she published her stories hoping to add another voice to foster understanding and to promote equality. Z. believes each of us is wonderfully unique and deserving of a happily ever after. Regardless where we are in the infinite spectrum of gender identity, orientation, or sexuality, our differences and similarities should be both respected and celebrated. However, Z. will never apologize for having too much yaoified smexy goodness in her books. She teases that plot is simply the words between the sex scenes (though that's a bit of an exaggeration). Sex is one of our most important and basic forms of communication, and she feels it's a vital part of understanding her characters. Z. Allora truly believes this rainbow romance is changing hearts and minds, and will continue to speak out for love for all of us.