Tracy McKay was raised on old orchard land just south of San Francisco. Her childhood memories are equally anchored by the sting of salted fog on her lips, and the scent of apricots ripe for harvest. When she became a mother, she and her husband relocated to Washington state, where the bulk of The Burning Point takes place. Tracy attended Eastern Washington University before moving to the Washington DC area, where she currently resides with her husband, Jonathan. They are raising their combined family of five children, and one very large dog. She's still not sure how she feels about warm humidity, rather than the chilly fog of her childhood.