Rob Thomas was born August 15, 1965, in Sunnyside, Washington, but moved to San Marcos, Texas, at age ten. Growing up, Thomas always knew he wanted to be a writer. He told librarian Joel Shoemaker that "[what] I wanted to write changed frequently, but never the notion that I'd be putting words down for other people to read. As a little kid I imagined myself writing books." During high school, Thomas served as the editor for his high school newspaper. After graduating from high school he attended the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated with a degree in history and earned a teaching certificate.

While in college he also played football, but he quit when he was offered a full scholarship to edit the University of Texas student magazine. Thomas always dreamed of becoming a writer for magazines like Rolling Stone or Sports Illustrated since...