Here's my bio:

Francoise Jean-Marie Katze was born somewhere in the late 15th century. She has many siblings, being from a good Catholic family, but not all of them thrived. An older brother was being trained to take over the merchanting business, when he was killed by highwaymen. Since the other children weren't old enough and Francoise dreamed (begged) of seeing the world, her mother begrudgingly allowed her daughter to assist Mr. Katze on local business trips, as long as she was home in time to help with harvest! (It didn't hurt that she was her father's favorite.) Soon she was traveling farther from home, learning how to defend herself with a rapier, and found it wise to dress as a boy. Many other merchants did not want to deal directly with a girl. As she developed into a woman and became more independent, Francoise gradually shed her disguise. By this time the merchants she did business with had already come to respect and trust her; in some cases, she was accepted as "family". Francoise's mother worries that her daughter will never marry. After all, what man would want this head-strong young lady? It will take a special man to get Francoise to settle down, and there aren't many who were willing. Currently, her father has retired, leaving Francoise to run the family business and teach the trade to her siblings; her mother is STILL trying to teach her to cook; and Francoise is off on another adventure....

Francoise is from Lorraine, a region that is just as much French as it is German. Her father is German (he says) and her mother French (she claims). They live on lands that have been handed down through her mother's family. They met as he was traveling through the area one spring. The weather had turned bad, making travel difficult, and sought shelter in her family's chateau. Several times, Francoise's father had visited the Veite estate to court the lady who would become her mother.