Like many writers, I don't enjoy talking about myself as much as I enjoy talking about my characters. Luckily, I can generally convince my wife to write bios for me. I'm sometimes surprised at what I learn about myself by reading information she provides. Here's what she wrote this time. Mark Phillips grew up in central Illinois reading the classics – especially Greek mythology, James Bond novels, and lots and lots of Batman comics. He is a graduate of both the University of Illinois (BA – Philosophy) and Northwestern University (MA – Philosophy). Mark currently teaches pre-calculus, political philosophy and the theory of knowledge at Bellaire High School in Houston, Texas. Mark has been a member of Houston's The Final Twist for two years. Mark, who has been writing stories and political tracts for as long as he can remember, submitted his first stories to a magazine editor when he was twelve years old. That editor’s kind and encouraging response fueled the fire that was already burning.   Previous publications include the mystery novel Hacksaw, First in the Eva Baum Detective Series and an Eva Baum short story in A Death in Texas (an anthology). Mark is currently working on the second Eva Baum novel and a short story for an anthology titled A Box of Texas Chocolates.