Charmaine Craig (born October 1970)was raised in Santa Monica, California. In 1989, she entered Harvard University, where she studied religion and literature, and graduated magna cum laude with highest honors. In 1996, she began the MFA graduate writing program at the University of California at Irvine, where she won several grants and fellowships that enabled her to research and write THE GOOD MEN, her first novel. Formerly an actress, she played the lead role in Disney`s White Fang 2 and had a recurring role on the CBS television series Northern Exposure. She lives in Laguna Beach with her husband Andrew Winer, author of The Color Midnight Made.