Born in Huntsville, Alabama, the "Rocket City," Donna K. Fitch grew up hearing the sound of rocket testing at Redstone Arsenal and graduated from a high school named for Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, the astronaut who died in Apollo 1. She also heard tales of the ghost of Sally Carter and the "old Grizzard Mansion" near her home, said to be haunted. This background, when mixed with an early diet of Dr. Seuss, the reference section of the Oak Park Public Library, 1930s mystery stories and the Gothic novels of Victoria Holt, set her to writing her own stories at age 13. Later literary influences spilled into Donna's writing--Ambrose Bierce, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and Tim Powers--to give it more than a tinge of paranormal and the macabre. Her love of research led her to a Master's in Library Service, and her fascination with HTML led her to switch careers from academic librarian to web designer. For fun, she visits cemeteries--the older the better--and plays roleplaying games.