Patricia Briggs was born in 1965 in Butte, Montana. She is an award-winning fantasy author known for her life-like characters and humorous dialogue. She began writing in 1990, and published her first novel Masques in 1993. Her other works include The Raven Duology, the Mercy Thompson Series, and the Alpha and Omega Series. Her title Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2014.