Beth Gilstrap-Barnes, a Charlotte native, has been in the background at local rock venues since the early 90s. A carrier of equipment and quiet observer, she rocks in the shadows or the darkened corners of smoke-filled bars, as it were. She earned a BA in English with a minor in Journalism and an MA in Writing & Rhetoric from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. When shes not practicing the art of terrorizing students in the Freshman Writing Program at UNCC or working as a freelance advertising copywriter, she writes fiction and enjoys spending time with her husband and their furry creatures. She reads everything she can get her hands on and is currently obsessed with the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Series.