After living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ankara, Turkey, Gary S. Minder landed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the beginning of school desegregation. He is one of nearly six hundred graduates from the powerhouse melting pot of Central High School. Over the years he has called Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and Portland home before returning to Tuscaloosa in 2006. The Education of Asa Paxton is his debut novel and the first installment of the Haint Blue Series.