Darren R. Leo grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, attending the University of Utah as an English major. After a stint as an army paratrooper, he took an executive job in the hotel industry, eventually moving to nine different states. Inspired by the nature writings of Craig Childs, Leo left hoteling for the Southern New Hampshire University, where he earned an MFA in 2013. Leo has hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail, which inspired to write his first novel. He currently lives in Lincoln, Rhode Island.