Valda Taurus is inspired by stories of survival in extreme situations, whether it be a natural disaster or an inner psychological struggle. She holds a master's degree in sociology and a minor in psychology that complements her desire to be a judgment-free observer of people. On the path to becoming a writer, she completed an advanced fiction-writing course. 'Killing Your Best Friend' is her first novel in which she touches on the topic of destructive feelings such as guilt and self-accusation. Writing has always been her passion. As she says, "Before I learned how to write, I invented the stories in my head, or they just lived in my head, and then, I tried to guess where they originally came from, and why all these characters chose me to share their stories. I was never alone in my mind although often lonely in the world of real people."