Joan Embree has lived in The Berkshires since l974 where she’s been the chef of notable restaurants, including Wheatleigh in Lenox. Ma. and her own, Embree’s in Housatonic, Ma. a popular night spot with live bands.She went to American University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a B.A. in anthropology. Until her recent retirement she ran a catering company, all the while writing stories when she wasn’t being a mother, a grandmother, teaching yoga classes and cherishing countless homeless cats and dogs she adopted (or rather, who adopted her). You and Your Stories is her first book of short stories and Summer of the Stolen Dog her first novel.