Ruth Moffat, who lives and writes in Toronto, is married with two adult children. The Illuminated Manuscript is her second book (after Stone Houses: Stepping Stones from the Past, Boston Mills Press) and her first book of fiction. In 1989, Ruth Moffat obtained an Honours Degree in Individualized Studies and a Master's Degree in English at York University. She and her Gordon setter, Britannia, spend as much time as they can at a cottage on Lake of Bays.