Liz Williams is the daughter of a conjuror and a Gothic novelist, and currently lives in Brighton, England. She has a PhD in philosophy of science from Cambridge and her anti-career ranges from reading tarot cards on Brighton pier to teaching in Central Asia. She has had short fiction published inAsimov's,Interzone,The Third AlternativeandVisionary Tongue, among others, and is co-editor of the recent anthology "Fabulous Brighton." She is also the current secretary of the Milford UK SF Writers' Workshop. BANNER OF SOULS is her fifth novel, proceeded byNine Layers of Sky,The Poison Master,Empire of BonesandThe Ghost Sister, and she is currently at work on her sixth.