To call her background eclectic is an understatement. From the hills of Appalachia to the orchestra of an opera, in addition to amassing several college degrees, Pavanne LeJeune Pettigrew has worked as a microbiology lab technician, a veterinary technician, a dental assistant, and an over-the-road tractor-trailer driver.

A native West Virginian, she has lived in the Charleston area for the past twenty years, having moved to the capital city to pursue a career as a professional musician and university music instructor. She was also the classical music critic for The Charleston Gazette for a number of years.

Since 1990, after receiving her Master of Science degree and making a career shift, Pettigrew has been an environmental geologist in hydrologic and groundwater protection for mining.

A childhood experience with a band of Gypsies established a life-long fascination with the Roma that is manifest in nearly every piece of fiction she writes, as is an obsession with pirates and the romance of the tall ships that is almost as long-standing.

She is the mother of a son and a stepson, and has a grandson and two granddaughters. She makes her home with her two cats, Baby Tah Tab and Stripey Sterling, on a hill overlooking the city where she teaches music in her private studio.

She is currently working on her next novel.