ABOUT DANIEL HECHT

Daniel Hecht was born in New York State and has lived in Manila, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Vermont. After a twenty-year career as solo guitarist and recording artist – readers may be familiar with his Windham Hill album Willow and other recordings -- he gave up music in 1988 to pursue writing. He earned his MFA in Writing from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop in 1992, and published his first novel, Skull Session, in 1998. Along the way, he has worked as a carpenter, mailman, logger, sculptor, graphics designer, musical instrument builder, and college administrator. Besides literature, his interests include history, neuroscience, long-distance swimming, social theory, shamanism, philosophy, and forensics. In addition to writing, he serves as executive director of the Vermont Environmental Consortium, a statewide organization working to preserve Vermont's beautiful landscape and create economic opportunities in industries that benefit the natural environment.

Why so many professions and interests? “I was born into a community of artists and craftsmen, so as a kid I absorbed some knowledge and affection for various arts and sciences through my skin. Later on, when I had to make a living, the various skills proved useful. It’s true that necessity -- or, more accurately, desperation! -- is the mother of invention. A checkered career is a great preparation for being a writer, because it gives you a sense of how the world works and how different kinds of people think and act.”

He now lives in Vermont where he writes full time.