Joelle Babula writes about things your mother warned you not to talk about at the dinner table, like infidelity, emotional chaos and cheese-induced bliss. A former award-winning journalist and columnist turned nurse practitioner, Joelle now lives on Baltimore’s inner harbor with her adoring husband and two absurd cats.

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, she spends her days caring for patients and her nights stirring up fictional drama, often with a glass of wine in hand and a wedge of something smelly on her plate. Infidelity Rules is her debut novel. And yes, she’s working on the next one (probably while avoiding her inbox and roasting a chicken).

When not writing or helping patients, she’s exploring Charm City’s restaurant scene, throwing impromptu dinner parties or crisscrossing the East Coast in search of her next great food-moan. She and her husband love traveling, biking and dancing like nobody’s watching—even though someone usually is.

Currently: drinking wine. Possibly dancing. Definitely not apologizing.