Claire Ackroyd

Claire Ackroyd is a landscape designer, independent organic inspector and writer. Murder in the Maple Woods is her debut novel, inspired by the time she has spent inspecting remote maple camps in the Maine woods.

Claire grew up in England, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Horticulture, before coming to graduate school in America. After completing a Master's degree in Plant and Soil Science at the University of Maryland, she found her way to Maine, where for sixteen years she owned and operated The Growing Concern, a garden center and landscape company in Orono.

She has travelled widely in various professional capacities, including an internship in Israel, and a consulting position in Guyana. She has taught horticulture to Vocational students in Bangor and undergraduates at the University of Maine in Orono. A year in France as a student gave her the basic language skills that made possible her work in the maple sugar camps, where the majority of operators are francophone Quebecois. Her book is dedicated to them, and to pitbulls and their rescuers.