Daniel J. Skinner was born in California and raised in Rome, New York and Tampa, Florida. He spent many years as a drummer and vocalist for different metal bands in Tampa, Florida and L.A. as well as country band and then pursued a career as an environmental engineer before becoming a motivational speaker and author. His love of ghost stories and thrillers inspired him to start writing his own intense novels. Along with Darkness Awaits, the first of a four-part series, he has written A Definitive Guide to a Gluten-Free Lifestyle as well as the children’s books Sebastian the Little Bright Star and Santa’s First Christmas in California. Skinner lives in Los Angeles with his four children where he continues to write and motivational speaking.