Yvonne Harris is an avid outdoorswoman and marathon canoeist who has competed eight times in the longest canoe race in the world, an event in which she and her partner held the women’s record. To write this sweeping saga about the Oregon Trail and the Fraser River gold rush, Yvonne traveled the trail and the Fraser River attempting to recreate the passage across virtually unknown country. She wanted to understand the hardships that the emigrants endured on their journey to a new home in the West. Deeply interested in the natural and human history of North America, her work shows a respect for Indigenous peoples and an appreciation for the natural environment. She has used her wide outdoor experience hiking many trails in both Canada and the U.S. to help her understand and shape the characters she has written about in Redemption.