Heather Cochran lives in Los Angeles, but she is not of Los Angeles. A native of Virginia, she lived in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., before moving westward.

She admits to being an unrepentant generalist and has previously worked as a bicycle courier, as a construction worker in West Africa, as a rock climbing instructor, for novelist John Irving, and at the Central Intelligence Agency (best not to ask too much about that!). Not surprisingly, she’s a whiz at cocktail parties.

Heather Cochran attended Wellesley College, where she studied history, Italian, and biology, before earning a degree in English literature. She also holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Heather currently works for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, helping to develop a museum of film, and continues to write. She lives with her husband, whom she first met in kindergarten, their daughter Wren, and three cats.