Keith Madsen is a retired minister who is using his retirement to pursue a lifelong interest in writing fiction. In addition to writing, he has also acted in community theater, having particularly enjoyed playing the roles of Jack (C.S.) Lewis in Shadowlands, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Porfiry in Crime and Punishment. This background in drama has helped him both with character development and his dramatic touch in writing. Keith finds that being part of helping characters come alive is one of his greatest life pleasures. He has visited Haiti four times, while helping to build a grade school there. In the process he has become fascinated by Haitian culture and history, a fascination which inspired the writing of this novel. Keith has published short stories in Mobius: The Journal of Social Change, Talking River, Short Story America and Adelaide. He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers' Association. Keith lives in East Wenatchee, Washington with his wife Cathy, where he enjoys teaching chess to grade school children.