Del Staecker is an American writer of novels, novellas, short stories and non-fiction in a number of genres, including suspense, crime, philosophical fiction, satire, and memoir. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts(London) and Knight of Honor, Order of St. John (Malta). He was educated at The Citadel, WheatonCollege, and The University of Puget Sound. He was greatly influenced by the events and people of his childhood and youth, growing up in Blue Island, a small town near Chicago, where hobos camped in the family's yard. Often, he visited his Uncle Erling Kjelland, "the Birdman of Chicago," in Old Town (Chicago's Greenwich Village) where Beat generation writer Jack Kerouac, poet Allen Ginsberg, singer/song writer Bob Dylan, and a host of colorful characters, artists and wannabes hung out with him at one time or another. Like the hobos of his youth, Del has lived a rambling life, has traveled widely, experienced much, and developed as a master storyteller. Whether it is crime fiction or award winning non-fiction he has a unique ability to explain the human condition through his stories.Read more about this authorRead less about this author