Stephanie Barron was born in Binghamton, New York in 1963. She received a Bachelor's degree in European history from Princeton University and a Master's degree in history from Stanford University. She worked as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. She is the author of the Jane Austen Mystery series.Author James Bradley is the son of Doc Bradley, one of the flagraisers. He is a writer and speaker living in Westchester County, New York.