Born in the wilds of Africa, Simon Lisiecki dreamt going to sea. Mastering the art of celestial navigation led him to sail the globe. After commanding large oil tankers during the Gulf War, he decided it was time for more mundane employment. He moved to Alaska to work on the Exxon Valdez oil spill and parlayed that experience into becoming the president of a shipping company that exported crude oil from Alaska. Later, he was promoted and moved to the London headquarters. After six years of managing thousands of employees, he retired and returned to Alaska to concentrate on his passion for writing.