William Bernhardt is the bestselling author of more than fifty books, including the blockbuster Daniel Pike novels, the young adult series Shine, and two volumes of poetry. Bernhardt is also one of the nation's most sought-after writing instructors. He has received the Southern Writers Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (U Penn) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (OSU), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He lives in Oklahoma with his wife and children.