Jo Bairzin is always buried in a story, whether it’s through writing, reading, or painting—the more weird, whimsical, and gut-wrenching, the better.

An artist-turned-scientist, she holds a B.A. in Biology from UC Santa Barbara and a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. With all of her free time while studying mutant fruit flies in grad school, she made the totally reasonable choice to draft her debut novel.

Outside of science and imaginary worlds, you can find Jo listening to punk music, watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, and singing badly in public to embarrass her daughter. She lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, and two sassy chihuahua mutts.