Lynda Rutledge, a lifelong animal lover, has had the joy of petting baby rhinos, snorkeling with endangered turtles, and strolling with a tower of giraffes in her eclectic freelance career, writing nonfiction for well-known publications and organizations while winning awards and residencies for her fiction. Her new novel, West with Giraffes, was inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. Her debut novel, Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale, and winner of the 2013 Writers League of Texas Book Award was adapted into the major 2019 French film La Dernière Folie de Claire Darling, starring Catherine Deneuve. She, her husband, and resident dog live outside Austin, Texas.