Valerie Sherrard is the executive director of a group home for adolescents, and has fostered more than seventy teenagers. She lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick, with her husband, Brent. In Too Deep is the second installment in the celebrated Shelby Belgarden Mysteries series. The first, Out of the Ashes (2002), was a critical and commercial triumph, and has been nominated for the 2003 Red Maple Award.

Valerie Sherrard is the author of 12 previous novels for young people, including the Shelby Belgarden Mysteries, Watcher, Sarah's Legacy, Speechless, and her first historical novel, Three Million Acres of Flame. Her work has been shortlisted for numerous Canadian awards, including the Red Maple, White Pine, and Arthur Ellis Awards. She lives in Miramichi, New Brunswick.