About the Author: Bernadette Calonego

I was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, on Lake Lucerne, a very picturesque area with mountains and lakes. I grew up in a house full of book lovers. As a child, I sneaked in my brothers` rooms to read their adventure books like "Ivanhoe", "The Leatherstocking Tales", "Treasure Island", "Robinson Crusoe", "Huckleberry Finn". Or I persuaded my mother that I was old enough to read romances (they were really harmless!). To make me happy, I wanted nothing more than read a good book while eating an apple, and to be left alone!

My mother, a poet, encouraged me to try my hand at writing at an early age. My first publication was a fairytale, which appeared in a Swiss newspaper when I was eleven years old. I was soooo proud!

But I did not turn into a writer right away. I became a teacher, then a reporter and a foreign correspondent.

My career has included working as a reporter/editor for Reuters newsagency in Zurich. My time covering financial news for Reuters inspired my book "The Zurich Conspiracy".

From 1990 to 2000, I was the foreign correspondent for “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the largest circulation daily newspaper in Germany, reporting from Switzerland.

I now reside and work as a freelance foreign correspondent and author near Vancouver, Canada, on the beautiful Sunshine Coast (okay, in winter, it is raining a lot). Visitors in my backyard include black bears, racoons, coyotes and bold eagles. I write regularly for newspapers and magazines in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

My first book "Nutze deine Feinde" (translated into "The Zurich Conspiracy") and my second book "Unter dunklen Wassern" (Under dark waters) were both published by Bloomsbury Berlin Verlag. In November 2011, „Oh wie schön ist Kanada!“ (Oh, how beautiful is Canada!) was published by Ullstein Verlag.

Come and read my English blog on my website www.bernadettecalonego.com

I would love to hear from you!