Franklin Lafayette King, Jr. was born in the Panhandle of Texas and spent much of his youth on the Blackland Prairie. He received a commission through the University of Texas in Austin and soon became involved in the Vietnam Conflict. After additional academic preparation, he moved to the foothills of the Appalachians. In addition to combat, he experienced both the eyes of a hurricane and a F-4 tornado, events that were to influence much of his later work. Mr. King is a frequent visitor to Europe from which much of the inspiration for this book was derived. He is the author of Hauntings of a Summer Moon, Sunflowers and Zinnias, The Poet Who Writes Upon Water, In the Shadow of Leaves ,The Woman in the Window, The Seven Woods of Coole, Lost Graves, and The Story of James and Other Writings—all published by Texture Press.