Sterling M. Cusack grew up rotating through books and series. A voracious reader, his early literary adventures spanned everything from solving mysteries with the Hardy Boys and escaping traps with Harry Houdini’s autobiography, to riding across the old west with Zane Grey. In his early teens, Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern sparked a lifelong obsession with fantasy worlds, leading him to scour bookstores and libraries for every magic-filled series he could find - including discovering George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire just as the second book hit the shelves.

His move from reader to storyteller began on the daily drive to daycare. The drive flew with his twin daughters, as they started spinning wild tales that instantly filled with fiercely strong princesses and magnificent dragons. Over the years, those morning car ride adventures evolved until they finally manifested into his debut novel, The Forgotten Dragon Tower. He lives with his family in Winnipeg, Canada, but his mind seems to always be in Arymar.

Sterling writes middle grade and young adult fantasy because he wants to encourage reading in his own girls - and because growing up doesn’t mean you have to stop believing in magic.