How It Happened (Koryta) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—September 20, 1982
• Raised—Bloomington, Indiana, USA
• Education—B.A., University of Indiana
• Currently—lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and Camden, Maine


Michael Koryta (Ko ree tah) is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen suspense novels. He was raised in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in criminal justice.

Koryta began writing at a very young age. As an eight-year-old boy, he began writing to his favorite writers and by 16 had decided he wanted to become a crime novelist. Four years later when he was only 20 (and still a student at IU), his first novel, Tonight I Said Goodbye, was accepted for publication and later nominated for an Edgar Award. In fact, he wrote his first two published novels—and was published in nearly 10 languages—all before he fulfilled the "writing requirement" classes required for his diploma.

Before turning to writing full-time, Koryta worked as a private investigator, a newspaper reporter, and taught at the Indiana University School of Journalism.

Koryta's novels in include How It Happened, Rise the Dark, Last Words, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Prophet, The Ridge, and So Cold The River. His books have won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Edgar Award, Shamus Award, Barry Award, Quill Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the Golden Dagger.

Koryta and his wife, Christine, divide their time between Bloomington, Indiana, and Camden, Maine, with a cranky cat named Marlowe, an emotionally disturbed cat named John Pryor (after the gravestone on which he was found as an abandoned kitten), and a dog of unknown heritage named Lola. (Adapted from the publisher and Wikipedia. Retrieved 5/17/2018.)