D.J. RICHARDSON was born in Vancouver, B.C., and grew up with an intense love for the coastal region and its history. He graduated from Queen’s University at Kingston with a B.A. (Hons.) in history, where he began his research into the life of Flora Ross, and from Stanford Law School with a Juris Doctor. He currently lives in Los Angeles where he balances writing with a legal career. At the moment, a draft book on the early life of John Butts in San Francisco is competing for attention with research for the next book on Flora Ross, "Matron of the Asylum."