Thomas King was born in 1943 in Sacramento, California to a Cherokee father and a mother of Greek and German descent. He attended the University of Utah where he received a Ph. D. in Literature. His works focus mainly on Native American way of life. His first novel, Medicine River was made into a television movie. His second novel, Green Grass, Running Water won him the Canadian Authors Award for Fiction and it was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award in 1993. In 2003, he received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award. His most recent title DreadfulWater Shows Up, is written under the pseudonym Hartley Goodweather. He resides in Canada and is an Associate Professor of English at… the University of Guelph.