Shannon Hitchcock was born in North Carolina and grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of four middle-grade novels, Flying Over Water, One True Way, Ruby Lee & Me, and The Ballad of Jesse Pearl. Her books have been featured on many state award lists and have received acclaimed reviews. This is the third book in her storyteller series, along with Saving Granddaddy's Stories and She Sang for the Mountains. Shannon currently lives in North Carolina, where she can see the mountains every day.