T(om) A. Barron was born on March 26, 1952, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

As a boy growing up surrounded by the mountains of Colorado, Barron developed a great respect for the natural world. Always an avid reader, he also loved to write down his own thoughts and feelings, and as a fifth grader even produced a personal magazine for his family and friends entitled "The Idiot's Odyssey." After receiving a bachelor's degree from Princeton University, he spent several years in Europe studying at Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship and traveling. During this period, he also continued to write, completing his first novel. After over forty publishers rejected this manuscript, he abandoned his plans to be a professional writer and returned to the United States to pursue a law degree at Harvard University. However, instead of completing his law degree, he moved to New York...