Nick Kostka is a senior at Tesoro High School living in Orange County, California. After graduation, he plans to study chemistry at a University of California school. He began writing Urumqi as a freshman in high school at age fourteen. It started out as a short story and later evolved into a four-part novel. Nick enjoys playing basketball, surfing the Internet and hanging out with his friends. His passion for writing also includes poetry and short stories. He currently has plans to begin a second novel, a sci-fi mystery adventure.