Mark W. Holdren has roamed the Adirondack North Country of Upstate New York for more than half a century. His first novel, Spirit Wolf, an Adirondack best-seller, was published in 2004. His second work, The Raven, was published in 2007.  His third novel, Lost Pond was published in 2009. Back Roads of the Finger Lakes, A Journalist's Sketchbook, will be published in August, 2010. An award-winning newspaper features writer, Holdren’s work has been honored by the Associated Press and New York State Newspaper Publishers Association. His stage credits include roles in Inherit the Wind and Our Town at Rochester’s Geva Theatre Center.

            “I’ve enjoyed some exciting adventures, white-water rafting through the Grand Canyon, fly fishing  the great rivers of the West, hiking in Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona and kayaking across the Gulf of Alaska,” Holdren says, “yet the Adirondacks retains its mystical hold on me. Paddling a remote lake, or climbing in the High Peaks, there’s a magical connection between the beauty of wild, unspoiled places and a power greater than our own.”

            Mark W. Holdren was born in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1942. Raised in suburban Rochester, NY, he graduated from Brighton High School in 1960 and Ithaca College in 1965.  After working as a newspaper reporter, Holdren joined the marketing staff at Rochester’s Genesee Brewing Company where he worked for 32-years. He retired in 1999 as vice president-marketing services and turned his full attention to creative writing. He resides on the banks of the historic Erie Canal in Fairport, NY.