Leslie Gadallah's work first appeared on science-fiction bookshelves in the late 1980s, when Canadian science-fiction writers were just beginning to make their presence known both in Canada and in the all-important American market. After a brief flurry of activity that produced three novels and some short fiction, Gadallah's creative output slowed, leaving her readers to hope that she will one day resume her promising career.

Gadallah was born Leslie Anne Payne on 8 October 1939 in a small town in southeastern Alberta. She was raised by Sydney Payne--a close relative of Gadallah's biological mother, Anna MacLauren--and his wife, Anne. Sydney and Anne Payne had two other children, William and Sharon. She attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton, receiving a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1960. She worked as a chemist and then as a technical editor for the Alberta Research Council, writing extensively on popular science for newspaper...