Mary McHugh graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, with a B.A. in English Literature and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. She is the author of the first four books in the Happy Hoofers series-Chorus Lines, Caviar, Corpses; and Flamenco, Flan, and Fatalities; Cancans, Croissants, and Caskets, and Bossa Novas, Bikinis, and Bad Ends; nineteen nonfiction books; and two other novels. She was a contributing editor for Cosmopolitan, an articles editor at Woman's World, Travel Holiday, and Bridal Guide, and has written articles for The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, and Family Circle.  She loves to tap dance and to travel-two passions that inspired her to write the Happy Hoofers series. She lives in the New York area. Visit her at www.marymchugh.org.