Juliet Marillier was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, a town with strong Scottish roots. She graduated from the University of Otago with degrees in languages and music, and has had a varied career that includes teaching and performing music as well as working in government agencies. Juliet now lives in a hundred-year-old cottage near the river in Perth, Western Australia, where she writes full-time. She is a member of the druid order OBOD. Juliet is active in the field of animal rescue and shares her home with a small pack of waifs and strays. She is the author of the Blackthorn & Grim novels, including Tower of Thorns and Dreamer's Pool, and the Sevenwaters series, including Flame of Sevenwaters and Seer of Sevenwaters. Her historical fantasy novels and short stories are published internationally and have won a number of awards.