Jane Fletcher Geniesse has worked as a reporter for the World Telegram & Sun, the Boston Herald, and the New York Times. She is the author of a novel, The Riches of Life, and her freelance articles have appeared in many magazines. Following Freya Stark's footsteps, she has travelled to Yemen, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, India and China. She lives with her husband in Washington, DC, and Fishers Island, New York.