India Hayford is a naturalist, teacher, historical reenactor, artist, and author. The recipient of the Neltje Blanchan Memorial Writing Award for best work informed by a relationship with the natural world, her debut novel, The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree, was an Arkansas Gems selection by the Arkansas Center for the Book. She also writes The Howl, a quarterly wildlife newsletter with national distribution, and her articles have appeared in various regional and national publications, including Threads and Needle Arts. A member of Wyoming Writers and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, she is a regular speaker at the Werner Wildlife Museum, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Embroiderers Guild of America, and local historical and arts organizations. She was born in Arkansas, where her family roots go back to the 1830s and her family tree farm still stands in Hempstead County. She now lives with her husband in Wyoming, but she returns every year to visit the hills, swamps, and pine forests of southwest Arkansas. Visit her online at IndiaHayford.com.