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Collins was born in London in 1937, the younger daughter of Elsa Bessant and Joseph William Collins, a theatrical agent whose clients included Shirley Bassey, The Beatles and Tom Jones. Collins began in acting roles, in a series of British B movies in the 1950s. She also made appearances in the 1960s ITC television series *Danger Man* and *The Saint* before giving up an on-screen career. She has since played herself in a few television series including *Minder*. Jackie Collins started writing as a teenager, making up steamy stories her schoolmates paid to devour. Her first book, *The World is Full of Married Men* became a sensational bestseller because of its open sexuality and the way it dealt honestly with the double standard. *Hollywood Wives*, a #1 New York Times bestseller, was made into one of ABC's highest-rated miniseries starring Anthony Hopkins and Candice Bergen. Ms. Collins lives in Los Angeles, California. Her hobbies are soul music, taking photographs and driving to exotic locations so that she can write about them later.

Wayne Lord is also a Georgia State University international business professor with extensive connections in Georgia’s corporate, educational and legislative communities.He has held a number of leadership roles at non-profit organizations and companies over three decades of international trade and business experience. Before joining Georgia State University, he worked as a corporate relations officer with Gold Kist, Inc. and Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation.

Iris Johansen was born on April 7, 1938. She worked for a major airline for many years and traveled extensively. Now, Iris Johansen is a bestselling writer, who has sold more than twenty million copies of her books in print and has won many awards for her achievements in writing. Iris lives near Atlanta, Georgia, where she is currently at work on a new novel, while her daughter, Tamara Brooking, serves as her research assistant. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist, and they have collaborated in some projects.

After an extended trip to Japan with her husband, Mary Alice studied Asian culture in earnest. She was awarded a fellowship, became bilingual in Japanese and earned her master's degree. Later, she helped establish a government-funded English as a Second Language program for Southeast Asian refugees. Working with immigrants and helping them integrate into American society, Mary Alice co-authored an English-language survival text. Not until years later did fate intervene. When her doctor confined her to bed for the final months of her pregnancy, Mary Alice's husband handed her a yellow notepad and pencil and urged her to write the novel she had always dreamed about. Knowing she might never again have that gift of time, she wrote and wrote. "I gave birth to a baby and a book," says the author. A dozen books later, Mary Alice has found her voice in fiction. Although known for her intimate portrayals of women's lives, her writing has gained added purpose and depth with her move to the South Carolina Lowcountry. "Living on Isle of Palms provides a stimulating place for me to think and to write. I've always been interested in nature, but living on the island and near the wetlands has influenced my work. I draw themes for my novels from nature and the parallels with human nature. And, in my own small way, I hope that by bringing to life the beauty and mystery of this fabulously varied ecosystem and various endangered species in my stories, readers will be inspired to support efforts to protect them." Mary Alice is involved with several environmental groups and is on the board of the South Carolina Aquarium. Her work with these groups provided the inspiration for her novels THE BEACH HOUSE, SKYWARD, SWEETGRASS, SWIMMING LESSONS, her children's book, TURTLE SUMMER, and her newest novel, TIME IS A RIVER.

American diplomat and a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. He went on to become Deputy Assistant Secretary at the State Department, and now heads its free trade agreement task force. Shapiro was very unpopular with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during his time as ambassador. Since 2004, he has been indicated by Venezuelan people as one of the perpetrator in the Coup d'etat against President Chavez of 2002. Shapiro has degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Georgia State University, and served in the United States Coast Guard.

Warren Christopher was born in Scranton, North Dakota, on October 27, 1925. From 1977-81, Mr. Christopher served as the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States. President Carter awarded him the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, on January 16, 1981, for his role in negotiating the release of 52 American hostages in Iran. Mr. Christopher again rejoined O'Melveny in 1981, serving as Chairman of the Firm from 1982 to 1992. In 1991, Mr. Christopher was Chairman of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department. In the aftermath of the Rodney King incident, the Commission proposed significant reforms of the Los Angeles Police Department that were approved overwhelmingly by a public referendum. In 1992, Mr. Christopher headed the search for Governor Clinton's running mate (Senator Al Gore), and later served as Director of the Presidential Transition process. On January 20, 1993, Mr. Christopher was sworn in as the 63rd Secretary of State, and served until January 20, 1997. He rejoined O'Melveny as the Firm's Senior Partner on February 1, 1997. His professional activities since his return to the Firm have involved consultations on a wide variety of international matters, as well as negotiation and advice to clients relating to sensitive disputes. Mr. Christopher's civic activities have included service as President of the Board of Trustees of Stanford University; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Corporation of New York; Director and Vice Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations; and Vice Chairman of the Governor's Commission on the Los Angeles riots of 1965-66. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a former chairman of the Federal Judiciary Committee of the American Bar Association, and former President of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has also authored four books: In the Stream of History: Shaping Foreign Policy for a New Era (published in 1998 by Stanford University Press); Chances of a Lifetime (published in 2001 by Scribner, on The Los Angeles Times best seller list for seven weeks, and in the number one spot for two of those weeks); Diplomacy, the Neglected Imperative (published privately in 1981); and Random Harvest (published privately in 2005).

Colin Powell became the first African-American Secretary of State in US history when he took office in 2001. He was a career soldier who fought in the US Army during the Vietnam War, and rose through the ranks to become a general, eventually becoming national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan. Powell became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George H. W. Bush, directing US forces during the first Gulf War. Powell retired in 1993 and published his autobiography, My American Journey, in 1995. After years on the lecture circuit, he was chosen by George W. Bush to be Secretary of State in 2001.

Rob Kutner is a four-time Emmy-award-winning writer for *The Daily Show with Jon Stewart* and contributor to its bestseller, *America (The Book)*. He has also written for HBO's *Dennis Miller Live*, as well as humor and feature pieces for the *Washington Post*, *New York Times*, *Los Angeles Times*, *Esquireem, and *Maxim*. Born in Atlanta and educated at Princeton University, Kutner has also lived in St. Petersburg, Russia and been deported from Uzbekistan. Kutner has received a Peabody, Television Critics' Association award, and a Grammy for the audiobook of America.*

Salman Rushdie is the author of ten novels: Grimus, Midnight’s Children (which was awarded the Booker Prize in 1981), Shame, The Satanic Verses, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Fury, Shalimar the Clown and The Enchantress of Florence. He is also the author of a book of stories, East, West, and three works of non-fiction - Imaginary Homelands, The Jaguar Smile, and Step Across This Line. He is the co-editor of Mirrorwork, an anthology of contemporary Indian writing, and of the 2008 Best American Short Stories anthology.