Hope Michelle Ayers is a native of Decatur, Alabama who currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C., where she works as an attorney and advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/FEMA. In addition to her first novel, Gabriel’s Balloon, she has authored two collections of poetry, Love Defined and Acquaintances, along with a series of children’s books entitled The Chelsea Tales. A graduate of Alabama State University (Bachelor of Arts) and the University of Alabama (Juris Doctorate), she is the CEO of Hope & Air, Inc., a lifelong supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., ASU National Alumni Association and the Alabama State Bar Association.