Darren Franz was born and raised in Woodhaven, New York, a stone's throw from Manhattan, which, with all its eccentricity, could be a horror writer's best nightmare.Back before kids lived on computers, Darren and his friends spent hours on end playing Catch-one, Catch-all in the streets and taking turns scaring the heck out of each other with terrifying tales of bogeymen and banshees. His addiction to horror began young, at his father's knee in front of the television. Together, they'd tune in to whatever scary show was being broadcast; these were days before VCRs, and if you missed a classic, chances are you'd have to wait a whole year for it to be re-run. Darren was hooked instantly and fascinated into near obsession.Eventually, he began scribbling his imaginings in a spiral bound notebook, illustrating small scenes in the margins. He didn't realize he was beginning his writing career. In fact, he never even gave a second thought to his writing until his 8th grade English teacher told him he had potential. And even then, he didn't know that there'd ever be a next step for him. All he knew was that he had to keep writing.Once he turned 18, he enlisted in the Army and was shipped off to Alaska. After four frigid years in the tundra and too many solitary night-watches beneath the Aurora Borealis, he came back home with the idea for his first novel, Jack Frost, and journals full of half-written stories. Then, he got married. Three years after that, he became a father. He is now divorced and has since remarried. Life had changed, but one thing remained the same: he was still writing.He begins everyday the same way. Coffee in one hand, pen in the other. He writes everything freehand. It's quite a task when you consider that he's published over twenty short stories and two novels. There are three more novels in the works, and countless short stories in the mill. Writing has become such an integral part of his routine that he feels off kilter if he skips a day. Like any good ritual, it is comforting to continue.Besides being a dedicated writer, he is an avid reader, Stephen King being among his favorite authors and inspirations. He loves to be scared, appreciates sleepless nights, and above all else, respects the story not yet told. His own imagination continues to surprise him with its depth, and unlike the rest of us, he hopes that the ghouls and ghosts keep chasing him.