Francisco X. Stork was born in Monterrey, Mexico and came to El Paso, Texas with his adoptive father when he was 9 years old. He studied at Harvard University and Columbia Law School and practiced law as an attorney for affordable housing for thirty three years before retiring. He is the author of one adult and six young adult novels, including Marcelo in the Real World, recipient of the Schneider Book Award; The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, recipient of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award; and The Memory of Light, recipient of the Tomás Rivera Award. His latest novel, Disappeared, was a Walter Dean Myers Honor book (awarded by We Need Diverse Books) and the recipient of the Texas Institute of Letters Young Adult award.