Though a life-long spinner of stories, Carol Louise Wilde came late to fiction writing. Her first goal of becoming a biological illustrator morphed into an interest in scientific research, which in turn led to a PhD in biology and a career in academic science. Early forays into fiction writing in graduate school were interrupted by the demands of marriage, career, and motherhood. Eventually Carol “took up the pen” again, but it was only after leaving the world of academics that she turned to writing in earnest. The Nagaro Chronicle, of which Gift of Chance is the first book, is the result of that continuing effort. Carol and her husband live in Southern California. They have two sons.