Andrew Pyper was born in Stratford, Ontario, in 1968. He received a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from McGill University in Montreal, as well as a law degree from the University of Toronto, although he has never practiced. Kiss Me, his first book of short stories, was published to in 1996. Pyper the went on to the position of Writer-in-Residence at Berton House, Dawson City, Yukon, as well as at Champlain College, Trent University. His first novel, Lost Girls, was a national bestseller in Canada and a Globe and Mail Notable Book selection in 1999 as well as a Notable Book selection in the New York Times Book Review and the London Evening Standard in 2000. Lost Girls won the Arthur… Ellis Award for Best First Novel. Pyper's second novel, The Trade Mission, was published in 2002, and was selected by The Toronto Star as one of the Best Books of the Year. Outside of fiction writing, Pyper is a regular contributor of essays and criticism to Canadian magazines and newspapers, including The Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, Quill & Quire and Saturday Night. He is also a Contributing Editor for Gear magazine.