Drew Steller

Drew Steller shares his somewhat uncommon last name with Georg Wilhelm Steller, a German botanist, zoologist and explorer, a pioneer of Alaskan natural history. While Georg Wilhelm was a legendary explorer whose life was unfairly cut short during his prime more than two centuries ago, Drew’s life thus far has been a lot humbler.

As the youngest teenage son of a rural schoolteacher father and a stay-at-home mother, Drew struggled to find his place in the world when homosexuality was considered shameful to most, and downright illegal in the eyes of the law.

After witnessing firsthand an act of cruelty committed by his own family, Drew left home, in hopes to find a place that was truly free from bigotry and intolerance. He travelled around the world, and along the way, documented stories of people who have shown true courage and unconditional love despite the worst of circumstances. All the characters in the fictional town of Kelson City in his books are in many ways inspired by some of the kindest people he was lucky enough to meet.

Drew hopes that his stories will bring comfort to the hearts of those who to this day are still forced to hide a part of who they are to survive, to be loved and accepted, and to protect the ones they love.

You may follow Drew on Twitter at twitter.com/DrewSteller

- Cynthia Alexander, 2013.