Mark Christensen, a native of Oregon, is a journalist and author of several books, both fiction and non-fiction. His published works include THE SWEEPS: Behind the Scenes of Network TV, BUILD THE PERFECT BEAST, and most recently THE SO-CAL SPEED SHOP, winner of the Dean Bachelor Award for Best Automobile Book of 2006. His freelance writing has appeared in numerous publications, among them Wired, TV Guide, Rolling Stone and the LA Times Sunday Magazine. In 1994, “The Oregonian” named his novel, ALOHA, as the best by a northwestern writer that year. A father of two children, Mark lives with his wife in Laguna Beach, California.