Author Tom Starace has flipped roles in his involvement in the book world. A longtime veteran of the book publishing industry, Tom has worked for many years at the top publishing houses in New York City as a designer, art director, and illustrator. Now, with his new release, Hero Maker, Tom puts pen to paper to bring young adult readers a magical realism novel that is dually action-packed and poignant in which the teen protagonist uses his newly discovered power to help people out of bad situations.

An interesting fact during his writing process is that Tom acts out the dialogue scenes, stemming from his background also as a trained actor. He believes a great story is one that has a combination of mystery, action, and humor. Tom hopes that the young readers of Hero Maker come away from his book understanding that being a hero is about, first and foremost, being a decent person.

Hailing from both New York City and Rhinebeck, New York, Tom lives with his partner, Jeff, and their very happy black poodle, Cole. When Tom isn’t writing diverse and adventurous stories for young adults, he plays banjo, writes books, paints pictures of clouds, and acts in his local theater group. In the fall, he watches the leaves turn colors, and he buys apples and pumpkins from the local farm. An illustrator of six published books, Hero Maker is Tom’s debut as a YA novelist.