Peter Georgas grew up in Waseca, a small town in southern Minnesota where his father owned the Crystal Cafe and Candy Kitchen. He earned a BA in Journalism from the University of Minnesota. After graduating, he went on active duty for two years as an enlisted man aboard a destroyer, the USS Floyd B. Parks. His experiences during the Korean War served as inspiration for this book. Following a decade in advertising, he joined the staff of Walker Art Center in Minneapolis as the museum's first full time publicist. Later, along with his family, he moved to Austria where he was Director of the Salzburg Seminar. He and his wife now live in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis.