Alex Irvine is the author of A Scattering of Jades (Tor, 2002) and the forthcoming One King, One Soldier (Del Rey, July 2004). He has won the Locus, International Horror Guild, and Crawford Awards, and published stories with a number of magazines. Wee Willie Winkie spooks him, but not his kids. For more on his work, see his website. To contact him, send email to airvine@alexirvine.net.