Von Braschler was born and raised in Everett, Washington, the exact town where the 1916 Everett Massacre unfolded on the waterfront docks that shaped his childhood. That personal and geographic connection to one of the most significant and most overlooked moments in American labor history is the foundation on which Survival in a Mill Town was built.Before becoming an author Von spent years as an award winning journalist, including publishing a lifestyle magazine in Everett itself. That journalism background, the discipline of documented research, the instinct for the human story inside the historical record, is what separates this novel from a simple dramatization. Every character, every confrontation, every moment of courage and violence in this book is rooted in years of careful and dedicated research into what actually happened on that dock in November 1916 and why it carries urgent relevance to working people today.Von holds a degree from the University of Washington in Seattle and has worked across the publishing industry in publicity, marketing, and acquisitions at several specialty publishing houses. He has lived and worked across the United States including Alaska, Oregon, Wyoming, Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Washington. He is a former faculty member of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York, a former organizer of the Willamette Writers annual writing contest across five western states, and a national gold medal winner for visionary publications.Von frequently appears as a guest on national and international broadcasts and has hosted popular podcasts covering a wide range of topics. He currently lives with his cats on a small rustic island off the coast of Washington state, not far from the town where this story began.