M. A. Simonetti, a graduate of the Mystery Writing Program at the University of Washington, is the author of the Malibu Mystery Series, of which The Third Side is the second book. The series follows protagonist Alana Fox, the forty-seven-year-old gatekeeper of the Malibu social scene, as she solves fascinating local mysteries.
As a "Woman of a Certain Age," Simonetti recognizes the lack of heroines in the over forty age group in popular fiction and is doing her part to provide a broader representation.
The author divides her time between the heavy traffic of Southern California and the rainy weather of what she calls the "Pacific North Wet."