Alan Gratz

Alan Gratz has wanted to be a writer ever since he was a kid. He went to the University of Tennessee to study creative writing, and ten years and more than sixty-five rejections later he was finally able to get his very first book published. Now Alan is the author of fifteen books for young readers, many of which have won state awards, appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, and been voted their favorite book of the year by students and librarians.
([source][1])

Photo by Wes Stitt

[1]: https://www.alangratz.com/about/