Patricia Barnes-Svarney is the author of "The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference" and "When the Earth Moves: Rogue Earthquakes, Tremors, and Aftershocks," as well as hundreds of articles for science magazines and journals. Thomas E. Svarney is a scientist and the coauthor with Patricia Barnes-Svarney of numerous books, including "The Oryx Guide to Natural History," " Skies of Fury: Weather Weirdness Around the World," and several titles in the Handy Answer Book series. They live in Endicott, New York.