Fidelis O. Mkparu was born in Onitsha, Nigeria, a Harvard-trained cardiologist who has written medical articles for both scientific and lay audiences. He is a professor of Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University and a senior attending cardiologist at Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio. Previously, he was a Spaulding fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School. His preceding novels include Love’s Affliction and Tears Before Exaltation (CIPA EVVY Awards Winner, Literary & Contemporary Fiction 2018). He lives in Canton, Ohio.