RICH COLE cuts a figure reminiscent of the classic American paperback writer. Born and raised on a farm in Wyoming, he learned early on that the quietest places often hold the loudest secrets. Possessed by a nomadic spirit, Cole spent years drifting across the map, collecting experiences and characters from the underbelly of the workforce. He has been a bellhop, a traveling salesman, a gas station attendant, and a telemarketer—blue-collar roles that gave him a front-row seat to the human condition in all its strange glory.

While working these odd jobs, he cut his teeth in the underground press, writing for and editing fanzines devoted to the gritty world of independent film. Now settled in Los Angeles, he channels his wandering past into a prolific output of horror and suspense. His bibliography is vast and eclectic, including the action-packed Yoga Master Fighter series, the creature-feature saga Swineheart, and distinct novels such as Ride, The Boy and the Great White Shark, Parts, Evil Car, Adrift, Black Lake Curse, The Witchmother, Borderline, and Happy Jack.