Allan M. Layne was born in the spring of 1944 in Bonifay, Florida, a small town near the Mississippi border. At age four, he moved with his family to Pennsylvania, where he continues to live today. Throughout his life, Layne has worked a variety of jobs, serving in the military and working as an air traffic controller. He even became a private investigator and is licensed still today. From a young age, Layne enjoyed reading, citing books such as Mystery on the Isle of the Sky, Ivanhoe, A Tale of Two Cities, The Lady of the Lake, and The Pit and the Pendulum as some of his favorite childhood reads. Two years ago, he began writing short stories to entertain his coworkers.