Thomas Wade Oliver

When Thomas Wade Oliver was 18, he left his childhood home in Leavenworth, Kansas, to study theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. There, playwriting and stage production became his focus, but at such a young age he simply didn't feel capable of writing anything that would appeal to a large audience. A few years later, Oliver thought he was ready and began penning what began as a screenplay, instead becoming his first novel-To Watch the River. Best Story and the award-winning Valor's Measure followed. Oliver then labored for several years researching and developing the manuscript for his 2013 release- Of Guardians and Angels. His most recent release, These Our Noble Sons, has fans raving and is rapidly introducing new readers to Oliver's mastery of strong characters and emotional storytelling.

Though he professes his influences are the classics of Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Salinger, his critics concur his writing style is quite contemporary and flows from the page, as one journalist claims, "Much like the grace of the South." Oliver is quick to admit his stories are easy-reads. "I think the best authors reel you in just a little and then get out of the way so you can use your own imagination and allow the characters and unfolding drama to speak for itself."

Oliver says writing These Our Noble Sons was a chance to "Relax the rules a little," and experiment with some wordplay and subtle techniques to emphasize the flaws in some of his characters. "My characters cuss a lot, misspell words in their diaries, and don't know when the D-day Invasion was. In other words, they're real."