Karen Fisher-Alaniz's debut memoir, Breaking the Code: a Father's Secret, a Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything (Sourcebooks) was published in 2011. Since then, she has had dozens of radio interviews across the country, including National Public Radio's (NPR), Weekend Edition with host, Audie Cornish. Prior to becoming an author, she was a freelance writer and a special education teacher. Her essays have appeared in anthologies such as Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul II, and Voices of Multiple Sclerosis.

When her father handed her more than 400 pages of letters he'd written during WWII, she turned her sights, and writing to memoir. Breaking the Code is the story of Murray Fisher, who began having symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) more than 50-years after the war, and the daughter who, in her quest to help him, uncovered unimaginable secrets. The book is currently being looked at by Sony Productions.

Ms. Alaniz is a frequent speaker at writer's conferences and workshops, where she shares what she learned along the road to publication. She is not only knowledgeable, but also willing to share the secrets she has learned. She is also a frequent speaker on the subject of memoir writing. She believes that everyone has a story.

Ms. Alaniz lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, including her dog, Togo. Her father, now 91, lives just three blocks away from her. They still have breakfast every Wednesday. For more information, visit her website/blog, Story Matters or her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/breakingthecode .