Alan Steven Kessler

I grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Childhood shapes us. Mine was, ironically, a gift. The sadism of my mother and the violence of my father, a murderer who died in prison, created within me a countervailing force, the ability to write empathetically about characters who, as Faulkner said, not merely endure but prevail.

Resilience isn't an achievement, it exists as a matter of luck. I was lucky. I have a wonderful wife and four caring, intelligent children--even a dog.

I am blessed.