Troy Blappert has co-written many English language textbooks over the past 20 years with several different publishers around the world. He has also taught English in Taipei, Hong Kong, Seoul, Saudi Arabia, and in the United States. He studied fiction writing at the Writers' Program at UCLA, and he has a M.Ed. from the Institute of Education at University College London. He grew up in the New Orleans' area.His hobbies include Shaolin kung fu, tai chi, and reading. He has studied with three different Shaolin Wuseng or Warrior Monks over a ten-year period, which was the catalyst for this novel. He lives in San Antonio with his wife.