Gwen Banta was born in Binghamton, NY and educated in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she received B.A. and M.S. degrees from Butler University. She also received a language certification degree from The Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. The author has received numerous awards for her fiction, including: Opus Magnum Discovery Awards For New Literature – Honorable Mention; Winner, Unpublished Fiction – Great Northwest Book Festival; Winner, Unpublished Fiction – Los Angeles Book Festival; Winner, Unpublished Stories, Pacific Rim Book Festival; Winner, Unpublished Stories – San Francisco Book Festival; Honorable Mention, Unpublished Stories – Amsterdam Book Festival; Winner, Unpublished Stories – Great Southeast Book Festival. Gwen has also written several screenplays. Her screenplay, Skies A Fallin,’ is currently under option to an independent producer. Awards for her screenplays include: Writer’s Project Semi-Finalist; Chesterfield Screenplay Competition Quarter-Finalist; Columbine International Screenwriting Competition Finalist; Ohio Film Festival Semi-Finalist; People’s Pilot Semi- Finalist. Gwen, a former award-winning actress of stage, screen and television, alternates her time between family, writing and a successful real estate career. She is a supporter of Global Green International and numerous other charitable organizations. She resides in LA with her dog, Buddy, who is a major fan of her books…as long as there are endless treats involved.