Conrad Wesselhoeft worked as a tugboat hand in Singapore and Peace Corps Volunteer in Polynesia before embarking on a career in journalism. He has served on the editorial staffs of five newspapers, including The New York Times. He is the author of ADIOS, NIRVANA (2010) and DIRT BIKES, DRONES, AND OTHER WAYS TO FLY (2014), two contemporary young-adult novels from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Wesselhoeft began to write for young adults after meeting the acclaimed YA novelist Scott O’Dell (ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS). "When we met, Scott was eighty-five—more than fifty years older than I,” Wesselhoeft said. “He was still very active and disciplined as a writer and critiqued my early efforts at writing YA fiction. He taught me many things about writing, but one stands out: Writing is about perseverance--never give up." Wesselhoeft's ancestors were homeopathic doctors to Emily Dickinson, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. His three children are in various stages of university study or career exploration. He lives in West Seattle with a poodle named Django. You can learn more about him at conradwesselhoeft.com and adiosnirvana.com.
