MICHAEL KONIK is the bestselling author of twelve books, among them The Smart Money and Ella in Europe. Winner of the 2016 Barrelhouse Prize for his novel Year 14, Konik has been published in more than one hundred publications, including the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Maxim. Dubbed “the dean of the world’s gambling writers,” his previous vocations include serving as an expert commentator on numerous FoxSports poker broadcasts, writing the golf column for Delta Sky, and performing as an improv comedian, jazz singer, and poet. Konik lives with his wife, Charmaine, and dog in Los Angeles, California.