Walter William Melnyk is a novelist, poet, violinist and weaver. He lives in a small log cabin atop a wooded mountain in Tennessee. Melnyk now plays the actual "Pavel's Violin," which he received from his Czech teacher, who is a member of Pavel's family. The experience of researching and writing the novel moved him to adopt Judaism, as a member of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. He is donating all his royalties from the book to the United States Holocaust Museum, and other Holocaust Memorials. Formerly, Melnyk was a priest in the Episcopal Church. He is the author of of two novels and works of spirituality emerging from his long spiritual journey.