Cate Culpepper is a 2005 & 2008 Golden Crown Literary Society Award Winner in the SCI-FI/FANTASY category. She grew up in southern New Mexico, where she served as the state lesbian for several years, before moving to the Pacific Northwest almost twenty years ago. She now resides in Seattle with her faithful sidekick, Kirby, Warrior Westie. Cate supervises a housing program for homeless young gay adults. She proudly cites Xena: Warrior Princess™ as a much-loved inspiration for the strong women she portrays in her original fiction.