Maria T. Lenon

At fifteen, I left Santa Barbara to study at The American School in Switzerland. I continued my studies at Brillantmont in Lausanne, got kicked out, then went on to London to complete her A levels. I was accepted to the London School of Economics and studied International Economics and the Politics of International Aid. After graduating, I moved to Italy where I ate and drank enormous quantities. I also taught summer school at The American School in Genova, an elementary school. I later moved to Paris and wrote my first novel. When I returned to Los Angeles, I quit all bad habits and continued working on my novel, Making It Up As I Go Along, which was published in 2004. I also completed a screenplay about the Red Brigade, which was a third place finalist in Francis Ford Coppola's screenwriter's competition. Today, we live in Laurel Canyon and have four children ranging in ages from 5 to13. When not driving one of my four children to school or volunteering at school libraries, I can be found sitting in a parked car, a café or a library writing novels, travel articles or just passed out.