My book jacket says: K.A. Merson is a vaguely reclusive writer who lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, along with a patient spouse, a malevolent boxer dog, and an Airstream trailer.

While that’s all true, here’s a bit more about me.

I grew up in the Boston area. As a young boy, I spent much of my free time on a bicycle, delivering newspapers and exploring the nearby towns and woods. In my teens, I arguably spent too much time hangin’ out in pool halls and dive bars, although I have no regrets on that front, or really any other. I went to college in New Hampshire, then found almost inexpressible joy exploring its venerable White Mountains. In my late twenties, I moved west in search of bigger hills and landed in California’s gold country, where I’ve been ever since.

I’ve been a cyclist, climber (rock, ice, and mountaineering), skier/snowboarder, and kayaker. And dog-walker of course. With a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s in business, I’ve also been an engineer, an investment advisor, a restaurateur, and now a writer. While I don’t consider myself an expert at anything, I do think that my diverse background—both work and play—has given me lots of good fodder for the page.

I frequently joke that I have career ADD. However, the various ways I’ve paid the bills honestly feel more like jobs than careers to me, their importance vastly outweighed by the people (and pets) that I’ve loved (and lost) along the way. Inexplicably, I managed to marry a brilliant artist and not a day goes by that I’m not thankful for the gift of her companionship.

I'm represented by the incomparable Oli Munson at A.M. Heath in London.

Thanks for reading!

—K.A. Merson