MICHAEL DASWICK

Michael Daswick is a multi-award-winning novelist living in Arizona. His work is diverse, funny, tear-pulling, wildly creative and many times, inspirational. Michael is the winner of both of Columbia's venerable literary awards: The Bennett Cerf Memorial Prize for Fiction and The Cornell Woolrich Fellowship for Creative Writing. The original stories that led to those awards grew into his acclaimed novel about a clever orphan: Chip Rock and the Fat Old Fart. Also, these stories may be found in his collection, Hallboys.Michael fearlessly hikes and horse-rides some of the wildest territories in the West and Mexico. He's a gourmet cook capable of world-class carnitas and beanie-weenie. He grew up in Pasadena, California working in a much-maligned meat market, and on the beaches from Avalon to Zuma. That seedy meat shop and those beaches provide the setting for his epic novels about Chip Rock, as well as his ZIN MIGNON series. Michael and his wife Kim have three children and two happy dogs. Everyone in the family offers a bounty of suggestions as to what direction his plot and characters should take next, and as any honest writer would tell you, this input is always invaluable. These novels would be much less than they are if not for this assistance.Professionally, Michael has worked in the international golf industry and owned the leading dog shop in Scottsdale. He now writes full time. Michael says, "My fondness for food comes through my family and, especially, our daughter with special needs. From her wheelchair, she's great at 'helping' me cook in the kitchen. Nobody is as excited about food as she is, and this passion is contagious. She loves the Food Network and it's her dream to become a chef." The Zin Mignon series is the written manifestation of her dream and the family's passion.