It’s been a nine-lives life for award-winning writer Lanie Lanowitz (the fiction-writing pen name for Joanna Johnson, attorney). She has a history with lions—actual Great Cats as well as gifted humans who run government agencies, conserve natural resources, and make movies. Raised in Chicagoland, she cut her teeth in Washington, DC, and works with colleagues in every state, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Her motto is "we are better together," although it's a real mouthful in Gaelic. Her passion is writing healthy, hilarious stories that transform the worst into wisdom. She occasionally veers into thrillers when suspense is the best way to get a point across.