Tom Pawlik is the Christy Award-winning author of Vanish, which also won first place in the 2006 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest. The sequel, Valley of the Shadow, was a Christy Award finalist. Tom has a BA in communication and works in the marketing field. He has also been active in Christian teaching, youth work, and music for over 20 years. In addition to writing fiction, Tom is an accomplished songwriter and musician who writes and records at his home studio. He and his wife, Colette, live in Ohio with their five children.