I have a degree in History, and was a writer/editor for a corporation and an international nongovernmental organization. I have lived in a village in Africa, meditated in a nunnery in Nepal, gone on speaking tour in India, toured dungeons in Transylvania, explored the rooftops of stone cities in Yemen and worked with human rights groups in Indonesia. My fantasy novel draws both upon my actual experiences of living in pre-industrial conditions and upon my research into the lost Chaco culture that flourished in North America between 850 and 1100.