Jim Ruland is the author of the novel Forest of Fortune, the short story collection Big Lonesome and co-author with Scott Campbell, Jr. of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch of Giving the Finger.He is the books columnist for San Diego CityBeat and a contributor to the Los Angeles Times and Razorcake, America's only non-profit independent music zine. His fiction and nonfiction has appeared in numerous publications, including The Believer, Esquire, Granta, Hobart and Oxford American Magazine. His work has received fellowships and scholarships from Bread Loaf, Canteen, Reader's Digest and the National Endowment for the Arts. He runs the Southern California-based reading series Vermin on the Mount, now in its eleventh year.Ruland is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and has worked as a copywriter and creative supervisor for advertising agencies, entertainment enterprises, and Indian casinos. He lives and works in Southern California.