Candace B. Drake (Near Death Experience) was raised in Central Ohio in a small community called Bexley, a bedroom community of Columbus. Her mom’s family was one of the original families in this central Ohio community,  and her family and  community encouraged her to attend college.  She wanted to become a lawyer but women rarely got into law school,  so she went to the Babson Institute for women, in Babson Park, Florida; graduated  with an Associates Degree moved back to Ohio and shortly thereafter married. She and her husband were blessed with two sons and after the youngest started school, she went back to school to earn a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Ohio Dominican University and started work in telecommunications management. Several years later she went back to Ohio Dominican to earn a teaching certificate and started her Masters Degree at The Ohio State University while teaching full time. She moved to Florida in 1999 to take care of her mother and teaching full time.  At that time she completed her Masters Degree from the University of Florida in Secondary Education. Currently she is an avid reader, swims most every day, and enjoys living.