Barry Lyga was born on September 11, 1971. He received a BA in English from Yale University in 1993. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years. His first young adult novel, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, was published in 2006. His other works include Boy Toy, Hero-Type, Goth Girl Rising, I Hunt Killers, and as the Archvillain series for middle-grade readers.