Shannon Hitchcock was born in North Carolina and grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of four middle grade novels, Flying Over Water, One True Way, Ruby Lee & Me, and The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. Her books have been featured on many state awards lists and have received acclaimed reviews. Saving Granddaddy's Stories and She Sang for the Mountains are the first two picture books in her storytellers' series. Shannon recently moved from Tampa, Florida to Asheville, North Carolina.