Marianne Rittner-Holmes, a U.S. Army veteran, retired from the corporate world after 25 years. She now pursues a freelance writing career online and in print. She has a B.A. in English from St. Francis University in Loretto, Penn., and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Arizona. Marianne is active in her church and volunteers in her rural community as an EMT-Intermediate. She and her husband Dave live in the desert south of Albuquerque, N.M., along with their three rescue dogs. (http: //www.alphadox.us)