Amber Cameron Portolesi Amber Cameron Portolesi was born on a rural farm in the southern United States and raised and educated in Southern California. With a lifelong passion for reading and writing, Amber has a strong academic and professional background in languages, writing and law. She is the author of both fiction and non-fiction. She is currently working on a father/daughter memoir and a collection of short stories set in mid-century Australia. As artist in residence, she will be working on a historical novel and a travel writing project.