Born in Moscow, Russia, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in English and political science, and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law with a JD. Before pursuing her dream of becoming an author, she practiced litigation at a large law firm in Chicago for several years. Olesya is passionate about sharing fragments of Russia’s past that are rarely explored in American literature. She lives in Chicago with her husband and child.