Robert Markland Smith is a seventy-one year old artist from Canada, raised in Ottawa and now living in Montreal. He completed a bachelor's degree in French literature and one year of graduate studies in linguistics and translation. He worked as a translator for forty years and published in mainland China, Australia, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada. His two daughters are in their twenties and professionals. He has lived in Berkeley California, Colorado Springs Colorado and New York City. Robert Markland Smith loves describing offbeat characters in off-the-wall unusual settings and situations. Sometimes the main character is a woman, as in Peace that Passeth all Understanding. Mr Smith has been writing since 1965 because he loves reading so much that he wants to give this pleasure to other people.