Christopher Leadem was born in Arlington, Virginia in 1956, the second
son of an Air Force Intelligence officer and a schoolteacher. Shortly
after his birth, his father transferred to the Central Intelligence
Agency, and the young family moved frequently.
Leadem's primary education was in Catholic schools, where he earned the
reputation of a gifted student. Attending public high school in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of James Michener, he displayed a
talent for writing, and a love of history and science. At the age of
fourteen, he saw a short film by Ray Bradbury about the life of a
writer, which galvanized his desire to be an author himself.
Burned out by a stifling high school environment, he did not
immediately attend college, but launched headlong into his writing.
This began with a spiritual novel, "In Search of the Evermore," whose
length and sweeping scope proved too difficult for a first attempt.
He then attended Penn State and the University of Colorado, excelling
at English Literature. He resumed his writing career and completed his
first novel, "Within a Crimson Circle," at the age of 22. He has since
completed five other novels, five volumes of poetry and nine
screenplays. Three other novels are in progress.
He currently lives in Colorado with his three children.