Kristina Gruell learned storytelling at her grandparents’ dining room table. Growing up, she rode horses, participated in FFA, danced, and read voraciously.<br><br>After a car accident left her wheelchair-bound for eight months, and chronic health issues limited her previously active lifestyle, she turned to books and play-by-post roleplaying. This was in the early days of AOL chatrooms. Her original stories and first novel attempt were background for her online characters.<br><br>Eventually, she began writing and telling stories to entertain her friends.<br><br>She’s a tea snob who loves dogs and enjoys a good brandy in the evenings. She spends her spare time reading, building elaborate Lego sets, and playing <em>World of Warcraft,</em> where she met her husband, because she is that geeky.<br><br>Her published works include The <em>In Blood and Fire</em> Series: <em>From the Ashes, A Burning Ember, The Flame Within,</em><em> The Conflagration</em>, and <strong>The World Ablaze</strong>, as well as <strong>The In Blood and Fire Companion</strong>, a short story collection.
