Christopher Brown is the author of the novels Tropic of Kansas, Rule of Capture and, most recently, Failed State, which was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award. He was a World Fantasy Award nominee for the anthology he co-edited, Three Messages and a Warning: Contemporary Mexican Short Stories of the Fantastic. He is currently working on The Secret History of Empty Lots, a narrative nonfiction book about urban nature and green futures forthcoming from Timber Press. He lives in Austin, where he also publishes the popular newsletter Field Notes.