Valerie Knowles was born in Montreal and has a B.A. (Honours History) from Smith College and an M.A. (History) from McGill University. In addition to writing for newspapers, magazines, and federal government departments, she has taught history and worked as an archivist. She has published several non-fiction works, including From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne, whichi won the 2004 University of British Columbia Medal for Canadian Biography and the 2005 City of Ottawa Book Award for Non-Fiction. Valerie lives in Ottawa.