Mary Vigliante Szydlowski grew up in East Greenbush, NY. She’s a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany. She began her writing career in 1978. She's published 11 adult novels under various pseudonyms. She's the author of: The Ark (1978), The Colony (1979), The Land (1979), Source of Evil (1980), Silent Song (1980 & 2000), and Worship the Night (1982, 1985, 2000, & 2016) and Dark Realm (2016). Using the pen name Mia Frances, she's the author of the erotic romance murder mystery series: IN HIS KEEPING: TAKEN (2015), IN HIS KEEPING: BANISHED (2015), and IN HIS KEEPING: CLAIMED (2016) and romantic suspense novel Little Girl Lost (2018). She's also the author of the SF novella, The Hand of My Enemy (2014). She's had 10 children's books published: Are We There Yet (2019), Little Sowbug & the Big Flood (2018), Millie Muldoon & the Case of the Halloween Haunting (2018), Ghoul School (2017), Millie Muldoon & the Christmas Mystery (2016), Millie Muldoon & the Case of the Thanksgiving Turkey-napper (2016), A Puddle for Poo (2015), Kia's Manatee (2011), The Duck in the Hole (2007), and I Can't Talk, I've Got Farbles In My Mouth (1995). She's a frequent contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul Books: Life Lesson From the Dog (2019), Mom Knows Best (2019), Volunteering and Giving Back (2015), Merry Christmas! (2015), and The Dog Did What? (2014).  Her articles, short stories, poetry, and children’s stories have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and on the web. She lives in Albany, New York. She's a member of The Authors Guild, The Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and The Romance Writers of America (RWA).