Bio

Todd Mitchell is a creative writing instructor at Colorado State University and was selected as a Best of Workshop finalist in the Scribner's New Voices contest.  The Traitor King is his first novel.  An amazing mix of fantasy and mystery, it was inspired by childhood summer vacations.  "When I was a child, my family often spent part of the summer at a log cabin in Minnesota," Todd explains.  "Every year my grandfather would design an elaborate treasure hunt for my cousins and I, with some fiendishly challenging clues.  These treasure hunts became a family tradition that my sister and I later carried on for our younger cousins.  The Traitor King emerged when I began to wonder what would happen if, instead of merely seeking candy and toys, the object of the hunt was to find a person who disappeared."

Other parts of the book were inspired by Irish mythology that Todd gathered during travels in Ireland, and questions he had about the significance of family heritage.  "Through writing The Traitor King," says Todd, "I wanted to explore the burdens and gifts conferred by one's heritage, especially if it's a questionable heritage, such as descending from a king who's betrayed his people."

Todd Mitchell currently lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife and daughter.