Hailing from Washington, DC, Elene Sallinger first caught the writing bug in 2004 after writing and illustrating several stories for her then four-year-old daughter. Her writing career has encompassed two award-winning children's stories, a stint as a consumer-education advocate on the diamond industry, as well as writing The Chrysalis Series. Her debut novel, Awakening, won the New Writing Competition at the Festival of Romance 2011.