Joan Z. Shore was born in New York City and has spent most of her life in Europe. After starting her career as an art critic and journalist in Brussels (for The Brussels Times, The Bulletin, and RTBF radio), she founded W.O.E. (Women Overseas for Equality) and was Paris correspondent for CBS News for ten years. She has published hundreds of articles in The International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, and The Huffington Post USA, and is author of the novel Red Burgundy, as well as the film's screenplay.