Patrice Kaneda was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts in 1935. She was an educator and lecturer for forty-three years. After moving to Chicago, she pursued her love of writing. Her first book, A Tale of Two Migrations described her families journey from Dieppe, France to Quebec and Montreal in the 17th century. What They Whispered is her own journey inspired by her life in Japan, while keeping her ties to family and friends in Connecticut by making forty-nine round trips to the United States.