Joyce Milne D'Auria, born and raised in Scotland, graduated from Glasgow Royal Infirmary as a nurse. After completing a Master's degree in counseling from St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York she moved to Florida and conducted a private counseling practice in Clearwater. She has acted and sung in theater groups and sung solo and in church choirs. She enjoys living on the Gulf of Mexico, boating with her husband, Paul, butterfly gardening and walking. She travels often to research her Scottish historical novels and visit her far-flung family in the USA, Canada, Scotland and Australia.