Wish Upon a Crawdad author, Curtis W. Condon, has caught his share of crawdads. As a boy growing up in rural Oregon, he loved to explore the surrounding woods and lash together rafts to float the nearby creek with his brothers. Bits of a few of those adventures found their way into Wish Upon a Crawdad, his first children's book. However, Curtis has been a writer and editor most of his adult life, including more than twenty-seven years at a popular magazine for members of electric cooperatives in the West. Curtis still enjoys the outdoors. His favorite activities include hiking, camping, orienteering, and beekeeping. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his family and extended family.