Biographical note

Colin Meloy once wrote Ray Bradbury a letter, informing him that he 'considered himself an author too'. He was ten. Since then, Colin has gone on to be the singer and songwriter for the band The Decemberists, where he channels all of his weird ideas into weird songs. This is his first time channeling those ideas into a novel.

As a child, Carson Ellis loved exploring the woods, drawing and nursing wounded animals back to health. As an adult, little has changed - except she is now the acclaimed illustrator of several books for children, including Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead, Dillweed's Revenge by Florence Parry Heide and The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.

Colin and Carson live with their sons, Hank and Milo, in Portland, Oregon, quite near the Impassable Wilderness.