British-born Sheila Finch did graduate work in linguistics and medieval history at Indiana University. She is the award-winning author of eight science fiction novels and short stories that have appeared in magazines such as Fantasy & Science Fiction, Amazing, Asimov’s, and many anthologies, including her own collection, The Guild of Xenolinguists. She also recently published a non-fiction work, Myth, Metaphor, and Science Fiction, exploring the connections between mythic themes and a literature of the future. She lives in Long Beach, California, where she regularly visits the Aquarium of the Pacific for inspiration.