Matthew Gardner grew up in London (England, not Ontario!), gaining a French degree from Bristol Univeristy, and a teaching diploma from Goldsmiths College, London. He spent two years teaching, then a decade travelling the world, writing several travel guides along the way (plus the obligatory unfinished novels). He met his wife, Alison, in Mexico. She is a Canadian chef and artist, who has lived in almost every major town in this book. The couple lived in the West Kootenays, British Columbia, for seven years, and currently reside in Victoria, where Matthew is completing a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology. They have two children: Theo, and Olivia.
