Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. His feeble memory makes every day a joyous adventure of discovery and adventure even as it destroys personal relationships, and his weakness for adorable furry creatures leaves him with many cats. He has published nine novels, including the Avery Cates series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com), the darkly hilarious crime novel Chum from Tyrus Books, and most recently a tale of blood magic and short cons, We Are Not Good People, from Pocket Gallery (www.wearenotgoodpeople.com). He has published over thirty short stories, including "Ringing the Changes," which was selected for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories 2006 and "Sift, Almost Invisible, Through," which appeared in the anthology Crimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris. He also writes about books for Barnes and Noble and About.com. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.