Stephen P. Kiernan is the author of the novels The Curiosity, The Hummingbird, The Baker's Secret, Universe of Two, and The Glass Chateau. A graduate of Middlebury College, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, he spent more than twenty years as a journalist, winning many awards before turning to fiction writing. He has also worked nationwide on improving end-of-life medical care through greater use of hospice. Kiernan lives in Vermont.