J. P. McCollum was raised in the Pacific Northwest, where he was exposed to a variety of good literature from an early age. He attended the University of Washington, where he continued his love of literature and earned his bachelor of arts in English. He spent a few years in the finance industry, during which he earned his MBA, and then he left the business world to pursue a career as a teacher and author. He has taught in public and private settings and published several novels.