Elaine DePrince (1947-2024) was Michaela DePrince’s adoptive mother and co-author of Michaela’s memoir, Hope in a Ballet Shoe (and a version for younger readers, Ballerina Dreams). She was the author of Cry Bloody Murder: A Tale of Tainted Blood, as well as a songwriter and owner of Sweet Mocha Music LLC, an Indie record label and music publishing business. A graduate of Rutgers University and a former special education teacher, Elaine, after raising five sons, took a leave of absence from law school to adopt a child from war-torn West Africa. She often said the need was so great that she ended up with six West African daughters.