Darren Boeck was born in St. Paul, MN. He was never much of a reader until a friend introduced him to The Lord of the Rings in seventh grade. It was this first book that led him down the path of reading all kinds of Fantasy and Science Fiction, often until the wee hours of the morning. He attended Forest Lake High School before going on to join the United States Navy. With many hours of idle time while onboard the Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29), he turned back to reading. Anything fantasy or science fiction that he could buy or borrow was fair game. After serving four years, he returned to his home state of Minnesota.
He spent a year at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, before putting his education on hold while trying his hand at various jobs. At one time or another, he tried being a security guard, casino finance supervisor, car salesman, electronics repair technician, software installation specialist, and computer networking engineer. Along the way, he met his wife Melissa. Four daughters later and two stints back in college during those years allowed him to first finish his bachelor’s degree and later his master’s degree in Cyber Security with Valparaiso University in Indiana.
Today, he lives at home with his wife and twin daughters (sometimes three daughters when one is home from college), and two dogs. Darren spends his time working full time in computer systems and writing novels in his spare time. When not doing one of these two, he can be found at the lake relaxing. His debut novel, Gifts of Fire and Ice, is the first of a multipart series currently in the works.
YA/Adult Fantasy Author