Alessia Brio is, first & foremost, an activist. No matter what's going on in her life, she'll find a way to organize those involved & inject an element of altruism. If she didn't have basic needs like food & shelter, she'd probably spend all her time volunteering for one cause or another. Even her nom de plume reflects her nature. Alessia is an Italian name derived from the Greek verb alexéin meaning "to defend/protect" and Brio relates to the Italian musical term con brio meaning "with spirit/brilliance."

In addition to serving as Coming Together's editor, Alessia writes all colors and flavors of erotica, from heterosexual to ménage to same sex, and from twisted to humorous to deeply touching. (Sometimes, usually by accident, it even qualifies as romance.) Her work has earned her critical acclaim in the form of an EPPIE for Best Erotica (fine flickering hungers) and a Romantic Times Top Pick (Coming Together: For the Cure) in addition to a plethora of glowing online reviews.

Ms. Brio lives in the mountains near Pittsburgh, where she masquerades as a soccer mom. Her fetishes include SuDoku, rare steak, and stainless steel. She stands 5'8" tall in her bare feet (which is how she prefers to stand) and has a mop of unruly dark hair that is being conquered by grey, complementing the laugh lines around her mischievous eyes.

The Internet is both her office and her playground, and she can be found online at alessiabrio.com in addition to MySpace and a few other sites.