MARY MASON was born in Bakersfield and has lived in California all her life. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from CSU Sacramento, and has worked counseling abused children. Her first h...view moreMARY MASON was born in Bakersfield and has lived in California all her life. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from CSU Sacramento, and has worked counseling abused children. Her first husband was a member of "Hell Bent For Glory," a pre-Hell's Angels motorcycle gang, but she made the bikers check their weapons at the door and wash her dishes, in exchange for her fine cooking. Her philosophy regarding martial arts is, "My black belt beats your black belt, because my black belt's in Smith & Wesson." She is also a sound lady, mixing live music for bands--usually Chicago blues and S.F. rock, but also swing, folk, and both Country and Western.She has run several Nebula Award banquets for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as well as science fiction conventions, and founded the 1993 San Francisco WorldCon bid. In 2012 she co-authored Throwing Lead: A Writer's Guide to Firearms (and the People Who Use Them) with J. Daniel Sawyer.view less