Tom Sawyer is an American novelist best known for his Great Lakes-based thrillers, including “Shadows in the Dark,” “Fire Sale” and “The Lighthouse.” Over the last 20 years, he’s strived to become the Michigan version of Stephen King by penning nine novels and nearly 100 short stories that make readers afraid to fall asleep. With a byline like his, Tom had no choice but to join the literary world. And much like the namesake in Mark Twain's classic novel, his journey has been filled with adventure. A childhood spent devouring episodes of The Twilight Zone after dark would ultimately spark his interest in horror and science fiction, a genre where he could mold his own bloodthirsty monsters. Tom began writing his first stories in front of the television while watching the latest 1960s-era Creature Features. In high school, he turned to journalism to help hone his craft, covering local sports for the Pontiac-Waterford Times and later the Oakland Press. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Communications from Oakland University, he continued freelancing for newspapers around the state. Toms first novel, “The Lighthouse,” was released in 2000. His three young children were forbidden from reading it at the time, which just piqued their interest even more. “Fire Sale,” a quirky read about the dangers of disturbing an ancient Indian burial ground, grew out of an idea from his brother, Tim. Since then, Tom has published two related books titled “The Sisigwad Papers” and “Fire Sale Tales.” Tom wrote much of his vampire novel “Shadows in the Dark” while going through Chemotherapy in 2007 for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He is now grateful to be in remission. His latest works include a collection short stories called “From Paradise to Hell” and novel “White-Out,” released this spring. His love of storytelling also led him to help form two writers' groups.The Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers is still growing strong and publishing its tenth anthology in as many years. Tom lives in Waterford, Mich., with his lovely wife, Colleen, their dog, Marley, and two mischievous cats.