Zachary Howe was raised in Madison, WI by his single mother, an amazing woman who made great sacrifices to raise him and his sister. When he was ten, Zachary’s mom enrolled him in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, where he met Charlie, who remains a Big Brother and mentor to this day. Zachary went on to earn his English degree from the University of Wisconsin and lives in Madison with his fiancée, Jody, and their boxer, Mick.

Though it sounds like a scene pulled from fiction, the idea for The Heir of Olympus came to Zachary in a dream. He awoke at five a.m. that morning, with a name and a story—Gordie Leonhart was brought to life. The Heir of Olympus and the Forest Realm is the first installment of Gordie’s journey.

Zachary is currently working on the second installment of The Heir of Olympus series, The Heir of Olympus and the War for Hades.