Jane Ann McLachlan was born in Toronto, Canada. She started writing stories when she was five years old, and has been reading literary fiction, science fiction and historical fiction in equal measure all her life. She received her B.A. in English Literature from York University and her M.A. in Canadian Literature from Carleton University. Before becoming a full-time writer she taught at Conestoga College.

She has three published science fiction novels under the pen name, J. A. McLachlan: Walls of Wind, and two young adult science fiction novels, The Occasional Diamond Thief (winner of the Alberta Publishers Award (APA) for Science Fiction and featured in the National US magazine, VOYA) and The Salarian Desert Game (runner up for the APA and listed in Canadian Top Books For Teens). She has four published historical fiction novels under Jane Ann McLachlan: The Sorrow Stone (winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award for Historical Fiction), The Lode Stone, The Girl Who Would Be Queen, and The Girl Who Tempted Fortune. She is also the author of a writers' workbook titled Downriver Writing: The Five-Step Process for Outlining Your Novel; two College textbooks on Professional Ethics published by Pearson-Prentice Hall; and a memoir, IMPACT: A Memoir of PTSD.

She lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband who is also a writer, and their bilingual dog, Frenchy, a papillion breed. They have three grown children and six grandchildren.

Robert J. Sawyer reviewed The Walls of Wind and had this to say:

"Look out, C. J. Cherryh! Step aside, Hal Clement! There's a new master of truly alien SF, and her name is J. A. McLachlan. THE WALLS OF WIND is doubtless THE debut novel of the year."

-- Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning science fiction author

Tamora Pierce read The Occasional Diamond Thief and The Salarian Desert Game and said:

"Tense, thrilling, edge-of-the-seat reading--I tore through this! Kia and Agatha are a fascinating pair, Kia so practical, down-to-earth, and wilful; Agatha so mystical and driven. More, please!" ~ Tamora Pierce

You can learn more about J. A. McLachlan and her books on her website at: http://www.janeannmclachlan.com

Connect with Jane Ann on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janeann.mclachlan

What others are saying about her:

"In ways SF readers can favorably compare with icons of the genre, such as Ursula K. Le Guin, James Tiptree Jr. and Robert J. Sawyer, WALLS OF WIND boldly weaves anthropology, psychology, drama, future history, even meteorology, into a tapestry of viewpoints and epiphanies that propel McLachlan's characters toward a necessary and illuminating change in their collective relationship. ... If you read no other "alien" authors this year, don't miss WALLS OF WIND." - Bookreporter

Read the full review:

bookreporter.com/reviews/walls-of-wind-a-science-fiction-novel

"Strong, character-driven Science Fiction -- McLachlan makes you both care and think. You can't ask for more. I enjoyed both books in this YA series, and hope to see a third."

-- Tanya Huff, Aurora Award-winning author of The Silvered

"I loved it from the first page and couldn't put it down!!"

Domenico Maniscalco

"I loved the writing style of the author; her characters are diverse and very real." Steve