Daniel Gilbert Acosta was born and grew up in California. After a half year as a novice in the Claretian order, Daniel left the seminary and enrolled at California State University, Los Angeles. Following college, Daniel was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was discharged from the Army in 1972 and returned to CSULA to earn his teaching credential. Daniel earned a Master's Degree from CSULA and spent thirty-four years teaching English and creative writing at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California. A former member of the L.A. Barrio Writer's Workshop, Daniel retired from teaching in 2007 and return to his writing. His fiction has appeared in national print and digital periodicals. Iron River is his first novel. Daniel is the father of four, and he and his wife, Linda, live in Rosemead, California.