Molly Ruttan (mollyruttan.com) wrote and illustrated The Stray, and is the illustrator of Violet and the Crumbs: A Gluten-Free Adventure and I Am a Thief (both by Abigail Rayner). She grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, earned a BFA in graphic design from the Cooper Union School of Art in New York, and established a career as a graphic designer and illustrator in Los Angeles. She is married to her childhood friend and music producer, Gabriel Moffat. In addition to illustrating, drawing, painting, and writing, and parenting three daughters, Molly works part-time as a freelance graphic designer. She played violin as a child, and now plays drums and sings in the eclectic-folk rock band New Garden; creates artwork for, records, and performs as a backup singer and percussionist in the progressive art rock band Phideaux (bloodfish.com); and is a member of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music's adult choir Silverlake Singers. Her life is full of music, family, friends, and all kinds of pets. She delights in all forms of creativity and life.