Stephen Wallenfels

I wrote freelance for fifteen years with over 150 feature articles and columns published in the health and fitness industry. During that time I published short stories for children and adults, and my YA CliFi (climate science fiction) novel, POD (Penguin-Ace), was published in eight languages and has been adapted into a screenplay. My second novel, Bad Call (Disney-Hyperion), a YA survival thriller set in Yosemite National Park, was released on December 19, 2017. My third novel, Deadfall (Disney-Hyperion), a YA suspense thriller, was released on December 11, 2018.

I grew up in the northeast and enjoyed backpacking and later, during my college years in California and Montana, rock climbing and wilderness survival.

My favorite books to read (and write) are centered around real characters dealing with extraordinary circumstances and how they rise to meet those challenges.

My passions are my family, reading, writing, cooking, racquet sports, and the environment--particularly climate change. The basic rule in wilderness survival is shelter first.