Derek Nikitas is the author of the novel Pyres, Minotaur Books, nominated for an Edgar Award. His second novel, The Long Division, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. His short stories have been published in such journals as the Ontario Review, Chelsea, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, New South, and The Pedestal Magazine. He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a PhD in creative writing from Georgia State University. He is the director of the low-residency MFA in creative writing at Eastern Kentucky University, the Bluegrass Writers Studio, and is currently a visiting assistant professor in creative writing at the University of Rhode Island. He was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, and raised in Fairport, New York. Visit him online at DerekNikitas.com or @DerekNikitas.