Maggie Furey was born in Northeast England, UK, in 1955. She is a qualified teacher but has also reviewed books on BBC Radio Newcastle, been an advisor in the Durham Reading Resources Centre and organized children's book fairs. She now lives in County Wicklow in Ireland. She is a well-known fantasy author, especially for the Artefacts of Power tetralogy, is centred around the lead character (and first novel namesake) Aurian, which were published as paperback originals in the United States.