Laurie R. King is the author of the Kate Martinelli novels and the acclaimed Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series of mysteries—including the The Beekeeper’s Apprentice and O, Jerusalem. She is also the author of the novels A Darker Place and Califia’s Daughters (written under the pen name Leigh Richards). Besides writing, she has also managed a coffee store and raised children, vegetables and the occasional building. She lives in Northern California.