Christine Fallert Kessides was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was always interested that all her ancestors were from Germany. After reviewing her family genealogy and reflecting on some of her relatives’ experiences, she was inspired to write Magda’s story. Christine attended college and graduate school at Northwestern University and Princeton University, respectively. She had a career writing policy reports in international development. Reading, especially historical fiction, has always been a passion. She lives outside Washington DC, in suburban Maryland with her husband, and sees their four children, grandchild, and two granddogs as often as possible. Magda, Standing is her first novel.