Kyra Petrovskaya Wayne, the daughter of Prince Vasily Obolensky, was born in Russia. Before coming to the United States in 1948, Kyra Petrovskaya had a budding career as an actress and a concert singer and served as a lieutenant during the 900-day siege of Leningrad. A scholar of history, Kyra Petrovskaya was always fascinated with Alaska and especially with its Russian period. She visited Alaska several times as a lecturer aboard the Royal Viking Line cruise ships and on her own to do the research for this book. She traveled extensively through Siberia and the coastal regions of the Russian Far East. Kyra Petrovskaya lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, Dr. George J. Wayne, a distinguished psychiatrist.