Cologne Wild was born and raised in San Diego, California. Unsure of her career direction, she worked in retail and clerked at a law firm before deciding to become a police officer. She married about the same time she started the police academy.

She loved her job and served dutifully for 22 years, but in her heart, she always dreamed of becoming a novelist. In her spare time, she wrote blog posts, web copy, and white papers for others. She also began writing Shayne Callahan’s story. During this time, she and her husband went their separate ways.

Cologne’s first loves were books and horses, although if you ask her, she couldn’t say which came first. Her mom taught her to read at a very young age, using Nancy Drew books as instructional material. By elementary school, she was reading everything written by John Saul and Stephen King. Her parents supplied her with as many books as she could read but, unfortunately, no horses. She was told she could have a horse when she had a job, a car, and could pay for one herself.

At sixteen, armed with a car, a freshly minted driver’s license, and a job, Cologne began taking horseback riding lessons in Del Mar, California, and has ridden ever since.

Cologne met her second husband when she was ready to give up on dating and adopt a cat. She ended up with the husband and the cat (and a dog and a horse). She and her husband have traveled all over the US and to many places around the world together.

Now retired, Cologne is turning her energy and attention back to her love of writing and finally finishing Shayne Callahan’s story. It is her debut novel, and only the first of many more to come.

The Quiet After will be released in 2027