Amelia Sue Marshall is a writer who lives with her family on Peralta Creek in Oakland. She developed a passionate interest in the history of the East Bay redwoods while riding her mare there as a trail safety patrol volunteer for the East Bay Regional Park District. Her previous careers as a journalist, space science engineer, planetarium lecturer and real estate broker have been cast aside in favor of writing about local history. She is a board member of the Metropolitan Horsemen's Association and the Oakland Heritage Alliance.