Michael Parker is the author of ten previous works of fiction—seven novels and three collections of stories. For his work he has been awarded four career-achievement awards: the Hobson Award for Arts and Letters, the North Carolina Award for Literature, the R. Hunt Parker Award, and the 2020 Thomas Wolfe Prize. He is a three-time winner of the O. Henry Prize for his short fiction, and his work has appeared in dozens of magazines and several anthologies. He lives in Austin, Texas.