Derek Nelsen was born in New Jersey and raised in North Carolina.  A second generation Norwegian American, his grandparents emigrated to the US, settling in Norwegian neighborhoods in New York.

Derek graduated from Western Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering. His career afforded him the chance to get paid to travel and see the world. 

On his way to becoming an airline million miler, every time Derek was in a car, waiting in an airport or flying on a plane, he was reading or listening to audiobooks or podcasts. How else could a modern man claim to have read Crime and Punishment? For the first time he studied the Bible and religion, read philosophers and storytellers, and discovered a new love of History and Science, too.

Derek’s favorite non-fiction stories have a nautical bent, and include Nathaniel Philbrick’s ‘In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex’ and Alfred Lansing’s ‘Endurance: Shackelton’s Incredible Voyage’. His favorite fiction authors range from Michael Crichton to George R.R. Martin, with a special love of the masters, Inklings C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Recognizing the ties to Epic Fantasy, Derek began delving deep into his Norwegian heritage, reading the Scandinavian Sagas, Myth and Folklore.

Derek still feels blessed to be able to call the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina home. After marrying Lisa, a local girl, he believes his family combines the best of their two worlds, like tynne pannekakes (Norwegian Crepes) and biscuits and gravy.