Linda Kathryn Illia is a freelance writing coach in the small town of Pismo Beach, California with a BA in English and an expected Masters in Creative Writing from Queen’s University Belfast. She is partial to writing dark and gritty short fiction about American farms and the Victorian occult, and adores diving into research for a new story. Like many of her characters, she can be found gardening or making friends with strange creepy crawlies. She does not fear spiders and delights in the rain. The Tender Witch is her debut novel for The Witch is Nigh fantasy-fiction book series.