Cynthia Polansky has been writing creatively since she was old enough to put pencil to paper, but like so many other wannabes, felt she lacked that unattainable je ne sais quoi that "real" novelists surely possess. A friend’s casual remark about her skillful writing prompted Cynthia to take a creative writing class, where she learned the basics of fiction writing and acquired confidence in her ability. Four years later, her first novel, Far Above Rubies, was published.

Polansky (writing as Cynthia P. Gallagher) also dabbles in nonfiction, drawing on experience in the various career paths she ambled down in her twenties and thirties: from aerobics instructor to FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher to court reporter. The dog-related articles comprising her resumé attested to her love of man’s best friend and led her to write several dog breed books and earn membership in the Dog Writers Association of America.

A Boston native, Cynthia Polansky earned her B.A. degree in Russian from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. After a few detours from the nation’s capital to Milwaukee and Memphis, she now lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband, a retired Fedex pilot. When not writing, she enjoys knitting, crossword puzzles, and volunteering at the local animal shelter. She works out a lot but doesn’t exactly enjoy it. She is also a tutor for the Writing Center at the U.S. Naval Academy.