Philip Hawley Jr. was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in southern California reading the stories of authors like Alistair MacLean, Frederick Forsyth, and Robert Ludlum—more often than not while hiding behind his parents' garage to escape the household chores that come with being one of eight children. As one of the eldest, Philip usually got saddled with feeding and changing the diapers of his younger siblings, which probably had something to do with his later becoming a pediatrician. Philip became an author to write novels that combine the authenticity and sharp edges of today's thrillers with the epic adventure elements found in works of the genre's early masters. His first novel, STIGMA, draws on his multi-decade experience as a physician working among remote indigenous tribes in the Central and South American rain forests.