Michelle was born in San Francisco and was raised in Silicon Valley and around the globe, including Japan in the 60's and English Girls Boarding School in the 70's.  By the 80's, Silicon Valley was no longer orchards or a quiet suburbia, and so she moved to Half Moon Bay, which is literally just over-the-hill from the Valley, on the coast. She is an outdoor enthusiast who pedals and paddles and strives to be outside as much as possible. Living near the ocean, she rides on the coastal trail every day, watching the Pelicans skimming and the whales spouting. She rarely gets into a car. She holds degrees in Photo Journalism, Graphics Lithography, English Literature, Instructional Design and teaching credentials in English and Computers. She has been an assistant to speakers Dee Hock (CEO emeritus Visa), Harry Dent (economic demographer) and big wave surfer, Jeff Clark. This book was inspired initially by a drunk driver hitting her while sitting on a couch at age 19. That got her thinking about death. Then years later after the deaths of her mother and sister-in-law, the book's concept came to her, in an effort to make sense of the death process. Using her experience as an instructional designer and teacher, and the tools in this book, she hopes to help people start their family's death planning process, and find peace of mind in planning a Good Death.