Once upon a time, Helena dreamed of becoming a neurobiologist. Then she realized making it up was a lot more fun.

Originally from rural-ish Iowa, she studied biology then law before moving north to Minnesota. There, she worked as an intellectual property attorney for nearly a decade (at the firm that once represented Thomas Edison, one of her many childhood fixations) until she “retired” to focus on her family.

Now she spends her days torturing imaginary friends, puzzling out plot twists, and concocting outrageous biotech futurescapes. She lives with her amazing husband, adorable children, and a lion-hearted Yorkie named Kevin.

Publications include a paper in Cancer Research, a model statute in The Journal of Gender Race and Justice, and countless briefs on PACER—each one a barn-burning page-turner.