A born-and-bred Jersey Girl, Elissa received her master's in journalism from the University of Maryland before coming to work for Romantic Times in 2006. During a six-year stint in Washington, DC, she wrote about topics ranging from dog aromatherapy to Medicare snafus to dating how-tos. Her primary passion is young adult fiction, probably partially because she feels as if she's still 15. When not writing, Elissa can be found reading any book within reach, and, of course, listening to Bruce Springsteen.