Mark Sumner is the author of 32 novels, including one called "Devil's Tower" (and for the record, the book title and the screen name are from fond memories of visits to the national monument of that name. They do not show an inclination toward the "dark side."). He's a past winner of Writers of the Future, and has been nominated for both the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. In addition to the books, he's written over fifty short stories and hundreds of articles. One series of his books was the inspiration for the short-lived television show "The Chronicle." In his 48 years, he's been a newspaper photographer, a coal miner, a software designer, a geologist, and a perpetual student. He lives with his wife in a log cabin at the end of a long gravel road south of St. Louis and practices hard at becoming a grouchy old hermit. He's worked on campaigns for thirty years, and has never risen higher than knocker on doors and maker of annoying phone calls.