At 12, Kristin Hardy started her first book, and the seed of ambition was planted. Trained as an engineer, she was part of the team that built the mirrors for NASA's orbital x-ray telescope, an experience that drove her to switch careers to trade magazine editor. Later, she took her act online and joined a business-to-business dot com (where she was a paper millionaire for a heady 30 seconds). Around the time her stock options were spiraling down to worthlessness, she was recruited to launch a print magazine for an engineering society. She currently lives in New Hampshire with her husband.