Jill Downie is the author of five historical novels that have been published in Canada, Great Britain, the U.S., and Scandinavia. Her short stories have appeared in Chatelaine. Born in British Guiana and educated in languages and theatre in England and France, she now lives in Burlington, Ontario. Her plays have been performed at Toronto Theatre Festivals, and her biography, A Passionate Pen: The Life and Times of Faith Fenton, was published in 1996 to critical acclaim.