Drawn to both reading and writing fiction at an early age, Dallas Mercurio was inspired by the great story tellers in her family. Besides her family’s legends, she enjoyed collections like Aesop’s Fables, and The Girl Who Helped Thunder. As a sensitive teenager, Dallas was enamored and enraged by powerful familial dramas that she read in class like Bless Me, Ultima. Studying Italian and linguistics at university, she developed a passion for translated literature, including Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author. Dallas enjoys cross-cultural emotional tales, and she currently works at an independent bookstore, planning on pursuing graduate studies.