Kristin Hardy

At 12, Kristin Hardy started her first book, and the seed of ambition was planted. Trained as an engineer, she was part of the team that built the mirrors for NASA's orbital x-ray telescope, an experience that drove her to switch careers to trade magazine editor. Later, she took her act online and joined a business-to-business dot com (where she was a paper millionaire for a heady 30 seconds). Around the time her stock options were spiraling down to worthlessness, she was recruited to launch a print magazine for an engineering society. She currently lives in New Hampshire with her husband.