Susan Howatch was born on July 14, 1940 in England. She graduated from the University of London in 1961 and served as a law clerk and secretary in the early 1960s before becoming a full-time writer. She writes in a variety of genres, including mystery, romance, and historical fiction. Her books include The Dark Shore, April's Grave, Penmarric, and the six-volume Starbridge series.
Bruce Johnson is honorary professor in a range of disciplines including Music, Cultural History and Communications at University of Technology Sydney, Australia; University of Turku, Finland; University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is co-founder of the Australian Jazz Archives, government advisor on arts policy, author/editor of over a dozen books, mainly on jazz, and is an active jazz musician.