Gary A. Braunbeck was born in Newark, Ohio in the Year of the Rat and has been apologizing for it ever since. After surviving eight years of Catholic school, he studied for the priesthood until he didn't anymore. He's worked at a variety of occupations over the years, including actor (stage, television, one movie), musician, a carny "stick," animal groomer, short-order cook, bartender, janitor (six stints at that one), newspaper reporter, and habilitation supervisor for developmentally disabled adults. When he's not out and about accosting strangers to forgive him for his sins, he can usually be found holed up in his office, writing, which everyone agrees is best not only for him, but society at large. He made his first professional fiction sale, "Amymone's Footsteps," to Twilight Zone's NIGHT CRY in 1985 and has been writing and selling steadily ever since. To date, he's published nearly 200 short stories in the horror, science fiction, western, fantasy, and mystery fields. His published novels include In Hollow Houses, Isaac Asimov's