Nancy-Lou Patterson is the author of several novels for young adults and is also an accomplished visual artist. She taught in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo for over twenty years and in 1993 was named ‘Distinguished Professor Emerita’ by the university. In the same year she received an honorary doctor of letters degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in recognition of ‘a life dedicated to expression.’ Before this she taught Fine Arts at Seattle University and was the curator of the University of Waterloo Art Gallery. Nancy-Lou Patterson was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, but for most of her adult years she has lived in Waterloo, Ontario.