John Christopher Nelson dispatched his first rattlesnake as a child, blossoming where his forebears had operated a dairy farm on ninety-four acres of East County San Diego chaparral. From there, he has moved thirty-six times and currently divides his life between the central Nevada high desert splendor of Tonopah—where he guides ghost tours at a historic hotel—and Eagle Rock, home to his partner and her cat. John is an erstwhile ambulance driver and surf shop manager, with over 100 tattoos. He earned his BA in American Literature from UCLA and is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA at the University of Southern Maine. In 2020, he was appointed off-the-books as the inaugural member of the Guy That Julia Obviously Wants to Kiss initiative, and remains the sole fellow of the program. He has experience as an intern at Hugo House and filled the senior editorial roles for both of his campus literary journals: Westwind and The Stonecoast Review, respectively.
Help publish his debut novel, Shadowplaying.
