Don Stuart worked his way through college and law school as a "boat puller" aboard his father's Alaska commercial salmon troller, "Shirley M." After four years' service as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps and several more in private practice, Don quit his partnership in a Seattle law firm and, with his wife, Charlotte, personally built the 47' commercial salmon troller, F/V "Nightwings" which, through the 1980s at the time of the setting in Secret Places, they fished in Southeast Alaska. In 1990, Don became Executive Director for the nonprofit trade association Salmon For Washington. There he advocated for the salmon industry, lobbied the Washington State Legislature, authored a monthly column on fish politics for the Fisherman's News, and served campaign manager in the successful defense of a Washington statewide ballot initiative (I-640) that would have destroyed the commercial salmon fishery. In 1996, he ran for the U.S. Congress in Washington's 1st District. Over the ensuing 20 years, Don served as advocate and legislative lobbyist on various natural resource matters in fisheries, agriculture, and the environment. He is author of many reports and articles on natural resources and environmental issues many of which are available on his website at www.donstuart.net