Paul Austin Ardoin is a California native who put his degree in creative writing to use--by authoring marketing materials for computer security companies for the better part of two decades. The Reluctant Coroner is his first novel. He has published short fiction and humorous essays in the anthologies Bottomfish and Sweet Fancy Moses, and articles about computer security in California Computer News and European Communications. When he's not writing novels or trying to save the world through better computer security, Paul plays keyboards in a dance rock band. He lives in the Sacramento area with his wife, two teenagers, and a menagerie of animals.