Vicky Heldreich Durand first fell in love with Hawaii at age twelve, when she spent a summer with her aunt and uncle on the island of Molokai. She returned home and talked her mother, Betty, into a trip the following summer, and by the following winter, Betty, Vicky, and Vicky's sister had moved to Honolulu. Vicky spent her formative years surfing with her mother; they both competed in the Makaha International Surfing Contest in Hawaii, and they traveled as invited guests to Lima, Peru, on behalf of The Club Waikiki's efforts to interest women in surfing. Over the years, Vicky has established and directed a cottage sportswear company, worked as a Title 1 high school teacher, collaborated with community groups to provide better services for her students, and successfully pursued grant funding for various programs to support teen parents. Today, she serves as a member of the Liljestrand Foundation Board with her husband, Bob Liljestrand. She is the mother of two grown daughters, six grandchildren, gardens avidly, and is passionately involved in animal rescue, working mainly with cats and dogs. Wave Woman is her first book.