Zora O'Neill has lived in New York City since 1998, but she still calls New Mexico home. Growing up, she attended ceremonial dances at Taos Pueblo and camped in the Pecos Wilderness—but she took it for granted, and perhaps even complained about it when she was dragged out of bed before dawn for some adventure. It wasn't until she moved away and traveled the world that she realized what a wild, culturally rich place she'd been raised in.

Zora's travels and writing have taken her on a circuitous route back to her home. Graduate study in the Middle East taught her about the Arab roots of adobe and irrigation channels; visiting hotels in southern Spain for guidebooks was disorienting—the brick floors, thick walls, and shady courtyards felt just like those in Santa Fe; and for guidebook work in Mexico, she has followed the threads of Spanish and indigenous culinary traditions as they made their way up to her home state.

All along in her travels, Zora has been particularly interested in food, occasionally working as a cook, caterer, and cookbook author (Forking Fantastic! Put the Party Back in Dinner Party was published in 2009). She maintains a blog about her cooking, travel, and guidebook-research experiences at www.rovinggastronome.com. She also maintains an update website for this book, www.moonnewmexico.com, where you can what has changed since publication. Zora welcomes email from readers at zora@rovinggastronome.com.

» Author’s Website