Barbara Schnell has devoted herself to full-time employment avoidance. She's been an actress, renovated a 1921 bungalow, set a cash-winning record on $25,000 Pyramid, and came in last on Jeopardy. First Year is her debut novel. Her second novel, Marianne Moves On, won a National Indie Excellence Award. She lives in Los Angeles with her patient husband and two cats.