The author, Todd L. Cook, grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska, and found himself in trouble with the law early in life. Born with a cleft lip and palate, relentless bullying led to a profound need for social acceptance, for which he thought he'd found the solution: criminal activity. A way to fit in, a free pass to the ‘in crowd’. We’ve all felt that kind of pressure in one form or another at some stage in our lives, but thankfully most of us don’t find ourselves where Todd did – the mistakes he made as a teenager, culminating in an accidental shooting during the course of a robbery, resulted in his conviction of first-degree murder at the age of 18, and a mandatory life-without-parole sentence. Throughout the years of incarceration, Todd has educated himself not only in law (earning his Paralegal Diploma in 2008) but also in psychology and, most recently, in business through embarking on a self-funded degree in Business with Adams State University. His passion for business is reflected in his successful efforts trading on the stock market, in which he is entirely self-taught. His mission in life is to do something great, to give back, and to make up for the harm that he’s caused. He believes that telling his story will help him take steps in that direction and provides his motivation for writing these books.Read more about this authorRead less about this author