Steve Alten is a native of Philadelphia. He earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Health and Physical Education at Penn State University, a Masters degree in Sports Administration from the University of Delaware and a Doctorate of Education in Sports Administration from Temple University. In the summer of 1995, struggling to support his family and unhappy with his job, Steve decided to pen a novel he had been thinking about for years. Working only late nights and weekends, Steve finished Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror his first novel in eight months, about Carcharodon megalodon, the 70-foot, 70,000 pound prehistoric cousin of the great white shark.

On Friday the 13th, in September 1996 Steve lost his job as GM of a wholesale meat plant. Four days later the six biggest publishing houses were involved in a bidding war over Meg, won Bantam Doubleday Dell. The novel went on to become the book of the 1996 Frankfurt Book Fair, where it was sold to more than twenty countries. Published in the United States in July of 1997, the book hit every major best seller list, including the New York Times book and audio editions.

Steve's second release, THE TRENCH (Kensington/Pinnacle), the MEG sequel, also New York Times best seller list. His third novel, DOMAIN (Tor/Forge) and RESURRECTION (Tor/Forge) followed. This series of books centers on the Mayan Calendar's 2,000-year-old prophecy that predicts humanity will perish on December 21st of the year 2012. Referred to as Matrix meets Indiana Jones, DOMAIN and RESURRECTION received 5-star reviews.

Between the Domain novels, Steve penned GOLIATH (Tor/Forge), the story of a victim of oppression who hijacks the world's most dangerous nuclear sub, intent on using its weapons of mass destruction to forge his own road map to peaceunaware the computer that controls the sub has become self-aware. Steve's sixth novel, MEG: PRIMAL WATERS the third in the MEG series. His seventh novel, THE LOCH (Tsunami Books) was released in 2006 and instantly became one of his most popular titles to date.

Steve's recently released eight novel, THE SHELL GAME, deals with the end of oil and the next 9/11 event that will lead us into an attack on Iran. Though the novel is written as fiction, it is filled with all-too-real details provided by insiders in the oil industry, military, and Middle Eastern affairs that extrapolates real events from the past and present that could lead us down a path of self-destruction...unless we stop the insanity now!

Steve has written seven screenplays, including GRIM REAPER, co-written with CHUD.com founder Nick Nunziata. Another work, THE COLONY, is in the planning phases.

One of Steve's longtime passions is working with kids. In 1999 he launched the non-profit program, Adopt-An-Author, in response to receiving so many e-mails and letters from teenagers who hated readinguntil they read MEG. The Young Adult Library Services Association named MEG the #1 book for reluctant readers. Teachers who register for the free program receive posters, curriculum materials, student-author correspondence, an interactive website, and classroom conferences calls and in-person-visits from Steve and the program's other participating authors. The program is free to teachers and schools, paid for by Steve (a certified secondary school teacher) and his sponsors. To date, more than 8,000 teachers have registered. For more information, check out the website at Adoptanauthor.com.

Unlike many authors, Steve welcomes direct contact with his readers and long time fans. He answers all his e-mails personally and sends his readers a monthly newsletter with updates on where they can register to become a character in one of his novels. For more information or to contact Steve directly, go to www.SteveAlten.com.