Joyce DiPastena moved from Utah to Arizona at the age of two and grew up to be a dyed-in-the-fur desert rat. She first fell in love with the Middle Ages when she read Thomas B. Costane’s The Conquering Family in high school. She attended the University of Arizona, where she graduated with a degree specializing in medieval history.

Joyce taught piano lessons to children and adults of all ages for over twenty years and continues to serve with her musical talent as accompanist for the local first grade and for the high school chorus. She loves to play the piano and sing for her own amusement, and sings in her church choir. Other interests include reading, spending time with her sister, trying out new restaurants, and, unfortunately, buying new clothes. The highlight of her year is attending the Arizona Renaissance Festival, which she has not missed once in its twenty-four years of existence.

Joyce has been owned and loved by many cats, the most recent being Clio (who helps her with her website) and Glinka Rimsky-Korsakov (that’s all one cat).

Joyce enjoys hearing from her readers and may be contacted at jdipastena@yahoo.com. You can also visit her on her website at joyce-dipastena.com, keep up with her latest news at jdp-news.blogspot.com, or follow along as she researches her novels at medievalresearch.blogspot.com.