Born in Philadelphia, Paul Langan spent his early childhood in the city before moving with his single mother to southern New Jersey. There he attended public schools and worked a variety of jobs—including salesperson at a shoe store, attendant at a horse ranch, landscaper at a mental hospital, and a night-shift stockperson in a warehouse store near Atlantic City. “Each job,” he says today, “could be the topic of several juicy novels.”In 1991, he enrolled at Camden County College and a year later transferred to La Salle University, where he studied creative writing and literature, earning a B.A. in English. While at La Salle, he lived with international students, traveled to his roommate’s home in Kenya, became a prison tutor, and found the courage to write. In 2001, Paul completed a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania.After graduation, he worked for a nonprofit agency in Philadelphia and then joined Townsend Press (TP) as an Assistant Editor. After contributing to a number of TP textbooks and teaching English at a community college, Paul reconnected to his interests in creative writing through the Bluford Series. Originally an assistant with the Bluford novels, Paul’s role steadily grew. He now serves as editor of the series as well as a contributing author. His books include The Bully, The Fallen, Promises to Keep, and Survivor. Today Paul lives with his wife and three children near Philadelphia and stubbornly clings to the hope that he will one day see the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl.