Diane Mayer Christiansen
Diane Mayer Christiansen grew up in Aurora, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. She began kindergarten in 1971 and was diagnosed with dyslexia in 1973 upon entering second grade. Due to the lack of knowledge of this disorder she assimilated into the mainstream of academia unable to either read adequately or process information normally. After graduating from high school in 1984, she attended Aurora University earning a degree in biology. She worked for six years at the University of Chicago as a laboratory technician in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine. She then moved to the position of Laboratory Manager at Northwestern University where she was involved in genetic research for the department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology for four years. After the birth of her son, Jackie, she made the decision to be a stay-at-home Mom and write. She began writing young adult fantasy books and hopes to be an advocate for children struggling with dyslexia. Switcher is her first published novel.