Rich Ritter discovered a passion for writing during his tumultuous high school years. This zeal was consumed by technical writing during his lifelong profession as an architect until the age of 49, when he began work on his first novel. Ritter was born in Iowa, raised in the social cauldron of Southern California, completed his architecture degree (Cal Poly SLO) in Denmark, and is a 40-year Alaska resident. He has traveled the world in search of adventure including such diverse destinations as East Berlin (twice through Checkpoint Charlie), Russia, the British Isles, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Southern Africa, Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the United States, particularly the west. His fascination of Silver City, Idaho inspired him to write Nor Things to Come: A Trilogy of the American West, an endeavor that consumed five years of historical research and writing. Ritter is the author of five books including Heart of Abigail: A Lyric Novella of Juneau, Douglas and Treadwell, and Toil Under the Sun: A Novel.