"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug." -Mark Twain

Kris Spisak has taught English and Humanities at the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, and John Tyler Community College. She also works as a freelance copywriter and editor, and is active on the Board of Directors of the James River Writers.

Though born in Houston, Texas, Kris was raised in Roanoke, Virginia. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the College of William and Mary, her Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Richmond, and did additional graduate work in fiction through the University of Iowa in Florence, Italy.

Kris's first publication came in 2001 in poetry; however, she has switched gears to primarily fiction and professional writing since that time. In the spring of 2005, Kris was named the Writer in Residence at St. Catherine's School, as the Sixth grade class of that year read and discussed her in-process middle grade novel. Since that time, Kris has been working on other projects, which include a short fiction piece published in Dark Sky Magazine, and a thriller, based on historical American secrets and their influence on the present day.

Concerning more professional writing, Kris's work has been published in the marketing materials of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, within the archives of the Richmond History Center, as well as for corporations within the greater Richmond, Virginia area.

When not researching, writing, or teaching writing, she can often be found playing volleyball, playing kickball, going on hiking trips in the Appalachians, or travelling as much as she can. Kris lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and their pet hedgehog, Hazel.