Tilli Horn Schulze was born in Doelitz, Germany, in 1934. She was five years old when World War II began, eleven when it ended, and sixteen when she fled to West Germany. She immigrated to the U.S. at age eighteen, settling first in Chicago. She married her husband, Herbert, in 1954. In the early 1960s, the couple moved to Rockford, where they established Northern Prosthetics & Orthopedic Inc. Tilli and Herbert later moved to Boone County, where they reside today. They are the parents of two children, who both live in the Rockford area. On July 30, 2004, Tilli received a kidney transplant on the same day that the first author copy of her book, Tilli's Story: My Thoughts Are Free, arrived from the publisher. Since her successful transplant, Tilli has traveled throughout the northern Illinois area speaking about her life story to schoolchildren, civic groups, churches, libraries, and book clubs. Tilli and her co-author, Lorna Collier, have signed a film option agreement with a Hollywood producer and hope to soon see Tilli's Story translated to film.

Lorna Collier is a writer whose work has appeared in many major newspapers and websites, including the Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Arizona Republic, Orlando Sentinel, and San Jose Mercury News. She has been a regular contributor to Chicago Tribune features, Crain's Chicago Business magazine, and Smart Computing publications. A recent feature article she wrote about adoption is being reprinted in a book released this fall, Contemporary Issues Companion (Thomson-Gale Press). She writes about women's issues, health, parenting, education, and technology. Collier was born in Wisconsin but has lived in the Rockford area since age two. She graduated magna cum laude from Northern Illinois University in 1983 and worked as a newspaper reporter for the Rockford Register Star, winning several awards for feature writing. She also was a news producer for Rockford's WTVO-17 and a writer/editor for Rockford Magazine before becoming a freelancer in 1992. Tilli's Story is her first book. You can see some of her published articles at www.lornacollier.com. Email Lorna at lorna@lornacollier.com.