Elliott Light grew up outside Washington, D.C., in McLean, Virginia, before the beltway encircled the capital city, before farms were turned into housing developments, and before open fields became mega-malls. The small town of Lyle is his literary creation and reflects a mixture of true life and fiction drawn from the place he grew up and the places his relatives and ancestors lived.

Light attended the University of Virginia, receiving degrees in Electrical Engineering and Law. After stints as an environmental and high tech lawyer, he’s now practicing as a patent attorney. Light resides in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife, Sonya, and their two felines, Sumo and Sasha.