CHRIS KUZNESKI, 31, grew up in Indiana, PA, with his parents and three siblings. As a fourth grader, Chris wrote his first book, The Monster Cookbook, a work that detailed the culinary and nutritional needs of dozens of creatures that he'd created. The school's librarian was so pleased with his effort that she had it bound and placed in the school's library with all the other books that he'd grown up reading.

Unbeknownst to him, a career in writing was born. . . .

Chris attended Indiana Area High School, where he starred on the gridiron for a team that won back-to-back CENPAC championships. He continued his football career at the University of Pittsburgh (playing with future NFL players Tony Siragusa, Jeff Christy, Mark Stepnoski, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward and many others) while working on his Bachelor's degree in writing. He wrote for The Pitt News during his last three years of undergraduate work, then worked briefly as a sportswriter for the Indiana (PA) Gazette and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before heading back to Pitt for his Master's degree in teaching. From 1992 until 1998, he taught English in two Western Pennsylvania high schools and was included in the 1998 edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Chris currently lives near Pittsburgh, where he is single (and looking) and hard at work on his second novel, Sign of the Cross.