Greg Steinmetz was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and went to Colgate University where he majored in history and German. He received a master's degree in journalism at Northwestern University and spent 15 years working as a reporter and editor for publications including the Wall Street Journal, where he served as German bureau chief and, later, London bureau chief. Since 2000, he was worked as a securities analyst for a money management firm in New York. He lives in Larchmont, New York and has three children. This is his first book.