Patricia Wood is a PhD student at the University of Hawaii, focusing on education, disability and diversity. i>Lottery /i>is inspired by her work, as well as by a number of events in her life, including her father winning the Washington State Lottery. She lives with her husband aboard a sailboat moored in Ko' Olina, Hawaii. i>Lottery/i> is her first novel and was shortlisted for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2008. Patricia has one son, Andrew, who lives in Everett, where i>Lottery /i>takes place.