Tony Santorella was born and raised in Danvers, Massachusetts, site of the Salem Witch Trials and related hauntings. He moved to Washington, DC in 2005, where he waited tables until beginning his decade-long career in international development.

Through his work he has travelled the globe designing aid programs in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa including a two-year stint in London for his Master's degree. He began writing his debut novel to explore his fascination with the mystical from his hometown and the power and ambition of the capital through the acerbic irreverence of the service industry. When he's not writing, he's spending time with his husband Robert and their two cats Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac