Susan Van Dusen has been a teacher in Chicago and Jerusalem, an editorial director of WBBM Radio, and a writer for magazines and newspapers. She is the author of four children's books, three on the history of Skokie, and a founder of "Coming Together in Skokie," a project to unite diverse cultures. She has lived in the village of Skokie for thirty-five years with her husband George, sons Danny and David, daughter-in-law Diana, and two perfect grandchildren, Anthony and Zoe. Van Dusen's hobbies are playing the dulcimer and ukulele, reading, and performing onstage. The Missing Hand is the first in her series of Jewish holiday cozies.