Mary Ann Monnon was born in Cape Breton where her parents settled after the war. Having grown up with the folklore of the Halifax Explosion, she spent five years researching the disaster before writing Miracles and Mysteries. She is the author, along with her late husband, Ernest, of Right On, You Got the Elbow Out: Wartime Memories of the RCAF. Her children's book, Henry's Quest (1997) received the Lilla Stirling Memorial Award. Her Journal of Memories was awarded a "Thank You Canada" medal by the Government of the Netherlands. Mary Ann has been a member of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, served two terms as the Vice President Atlantic of the Canadian Authors' Association, and three terms as President of the Nova Scotia branch. A graduate of the Sydney City Hospital and Acadia University, Mary Ann currently resides in Halifax.