C. Jean Downer grew up in a rural area where she spent her childhood using her imagination to entertain family and friends. She left for city life and earned a Master of Arts in literature and a Ph. D. in Rhetoric and taught many years in both English and Women Studies departments, experiences she credits with pushing her toward her life’s dream to write and live creatively. Downer is a published poet and the author of the Sloane West Mystery series. Originally from the US, she now lives in British Columbia, with her wife of twenty years, their two fabulous teen daughters, two trusty dogs, and three chill cats.