Paul Backalenick is the author of three suspense and mystery novels, along with short stories, book reviews, occasional poetry, and even Letters to the Editor of the New York Daily News. A full-time writer since 2012, he began creative writing at Brown University, where he served as editor of the campus literary magazine, first publishing some of his own work there.

Paul's fiction often draws upon places and experiences in his own life. His first novel, Development, is set in his home town of Westport, Connecticut, and incorporates the zeitgeist of that affluent suburb in the 1970s. Paul's knowledge of psychology plays a central role in his storytelling. After earning his undergraduate degree in psychology from Brown, he completed a Master's degree in the mental health field and spent fourteen years working in psychiatric hospitals and addiction treatment centers, in and around Boston. That professional experience informs novels such as Carrie's Secret, a mystery centered on a crime within a Boston mental hospital. In his third novel, Empty Luck, Paul takes readers to Las Vegas-a city he also knows well as a longtime poker player. His background and education allow him to bring psychological depth and authenticity to his characters' motivations and behavior.

Currently, Paul is working on his fourth book, tentatively titled Her Majesty's Commodities. This newest book is a work of historical fiction, loosely based on his father's Jewish ancestors in Ukraine in the mid-1800s.

Paul is a nature lover inexplicably living in New York City. He is married to Karen Loew, a wonderful artist and life partner.

Paul writes a blog that can be found at writingamystery.com/blog.