Trivia

She is the daughter of James Cyrille "Cy" Taillon (1907-1980), a famed rodeo announcer and his showgirl wife, Nedra Ann "Pat" Montgomery, from Paragould, Arkansas.

From 1985 to 1991, she wrote a weekly column for the San Francisco Examiner, in which she tackled everything from gun control to jet lag to why the newspaper is wrapped in plastic only on days it doesn't rain. Since then, she has freelanced for the Nation, Newsweek, the New York Times, and other national publications.

She is a former college English teacher, freelance journalist and newspaper columnist.