John McDonough was born in Denver, Colorado. The son of a playwright, he grew up surrounded by tall book shelves filled with historical tomes of ancient Rome and Greece, myths and legends.  Some of his earliest memories include "reading" The Adventures of Tintin during Kindergarten nap-time (they were in French), and buying Detective Comics and X-Men for 15 cents.  The love of music took hold early on, too, and while working towards his  college English degree, he began playing in bands professionally, which continued for fifteen years.  This was followed by a foray into the Corporate World, which lead to him finally realizing that he needed to escape and make writing his full-time job.  Today, he lives in the Hill Country of Texas.  Rumors of ghosts haunting the local football field have only inspired him to write faster.