Mark Crilley was raised in Detroit, where he started drawing almost as soon as he could hold a pencil in his hand. After graduating from Kalamazoo College in 1988, where he was befriended by children's author David Small, he taught English in Taiwan and Japan for nearly five years. His first comic series, Akiko, was published in 1995, leading Random House to invite him to adapt it as a series of chapter books. His graphic novel series, Miki Falls, was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" for 2007, and was optioned by Paramount Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B Production Studio for development as a feature film. Crilley's work has been featured in USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and on CNN Headline News and Comcast On Demand, and his popular YouTube videos have been viewed 250 million times and counting. He lives in Michigan with his wife, Miki, and children, Matthew and Mio.