From Florida to Central Oregon, Livia has experienced two separate cultures of America. Her childhood was full of sandy britches and feeding stingrays, until moving to the west coast where the constant elevation reached more than 1,000 meters. After graduation she moved to New Zealand, where she worked in local Montessori’s, and apprenticed under a friend in costume construction. There, she learned about the Māori culture, danced her first haka, and hiked around many Lord of the Rings’ filming locations. A year of adventure brought her back to Oregon, where she met her Czech husband, started her own business, and adopted a cat on her first trip to the Czech Republic. She traded costume conventions for hiking and writing. And over each visit to ČR, she fell more in love with the country, the food, and the summers. Eventually with four cats, she moved to her husband’s home town where the summers are greener, and she can spend her free time writing her novel.