About the author

An early passion for poetry, singing, and writing, Jill Alikas St Thomas annoyed friends, family, and neighbors alike with a distinct desire to perform that led her to Florida, where she attended but did not complete studies at the University of Tampa with a full classical music scholarship. Jill became the singer of a local Tampa band, The Flower Sermon, in 1985, and in 1987, she met Ray Carroll in NYC, and they created The Waterlillies. They were signed to Reprise/ Sire Records by Seymour Stein, with three songs breaking the top 10 charts in 1994 - 1995 and Never Get Enough, reaching No. 1 in the U.S. She continued to compose, record, and perform with Suicide Lounge and Sonic Fleur.

Love struck in the summer of 89’ she met her life partner, Thomas St. Thomas, a fine artist from California and they married in 1994 in Hawaii. A year later, her mother, Margaret (Peggy) Alikas, who was an emotional and supportive benefactor in her life died of cancer, and The Waterlillies broke up. Navigating reinvention, Jill moved to Madrid, New Mexico, with her husband in 1996, and they opened the fine art gallery, Margeaux Kurtie Modern Art, named in homage to her mother and a friend of her husband’s, both of whom died the previous year. 

After years of writing songs and poetry, she ventured into essays and artists' statements with a keen eye for marketing. This led her to an assistant field position to Siegfried Halus, the Chairman of Arts for SFCC, for the publication of Idea Photographic; After Modernism, in conjunction with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Princeton University Art Museum collections which was published by UNM, NMMFA, SFCC. 

Navigating global financial duress after 9-11, she co-founded Mad Hatter Coffee & Tea, a cannabis infusion company, in 2007 with her husband. Together they have pioneered cannabis and CBD beverages. Considered a Green Queen of cannabis, she has been profiled by The New York Times, Time Magazine, and Newsweek. 

In 2015 Jill began writing larger fiction than songwriting could contain, The Stephanie Beroe Chronicles are based on surreal experiences in the cannabis industry, life in a ghost town, and the explosive social and political landscape of its time. This series continues and is a collaborative venture between music and words with chapter song playlists that combines the author’s passion for music and a sentient, interactive experience for writing fiction in a media-based world.

Jill continues to live in New Mexico with her husband of thirty-three years, their daughter Elektra, who is also a writer, and their dog Mr. Darcy. 

Connect with Jill on her Author Good Reads account