Emily St. John Mandel is from British Columbia. She is the author of six previous novels, including Sea of Tranquility, The Glass Hotel, which was shortlisted for the Giller Prize, and Station Eleven, which was a finalist for a National Book Award and was included in the New York Times Best 100 Books of the 21st Century list. Her work has been translated into thirty-seven languages and adapted for television. She lives in New York City and Los Angeles.