Linda Spalding was born in Kansas and lived in Mexico and Hawaii before immigrating to Toronto in 1982. She is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, Daughters of Captain Cook, The Paper Wife, and (with her daughter Esta) Mere. Her non-fiction work, The Follow, was shortlisted for the Trillium Award and the Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize. She has been awarded the Harbourfront Festival Prize for her contribution to the Canadian literary community.