Myra Hargrave McIlvain, a sixth-generation Texan, is a teller of Texas tales. Whether she shares the stories in her books, lectures, or newsletter, she aims to make the Texas story alive. She has freelanced as a writer of Texas historical markers and written articles for newspapers nationwide and for magazines such as Texas Highways. She has published twelve books—all Texas stories. Her most recent, The Knotted Ring, is the story of a young woman, pregnant with her slave lover's baby, who is forced to marry a man headed to Texas for a Spanish land grant. McIlvain lives in Austin with her husband, Stroud. She enjoys the company of a houseful of great grands.