A native of Boston, Susan Diamond now lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from Harvard/Radcliffe and has a masters degree from the University of Iowa. Diamond started her writing career in fiction as a fellow at the Iowa Writers Workshop, but has spent most of her time since as a journalist, always writing as S.J.Diamond. First a magazine reporter, she then became a feature writer and columnist at the Los Angeles Times, where she wrote front-page features on subjects ranging from gospel music to no-fault divorce. Her weekly column on consumer affairs ran in the business section, exploring such challenges of everyday commerce as credit cards, airline tickets, and the safety, costs and crowds at amusement parks.