Andrew McDowell has always possessed a great imagination, and a love for stories. He was born in Germany and has lived in both America and Japan. He began writing Beyond the Forest at the age of thirteen, and for three years has labored to make it as perfect as he could. Now sixteen, he lives with his family in Gambrills, Maryland, where he is working on Erylon Holds the Secrets, the second book in his fantasy trilogy Magic of Nature.