Rick Yancey

John Richard Yancey (born November 4, 1962) is an American author who writes works of suspense, fantasy, and science fiction aimed at young adults. His best known works include the Alfred Kropp series, The Monstrumologist series, and The 5th Wave series, which was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 2016.

Early life and education John Richard Yancey was born on November 4, 1962, in Miami, Florida. He was adopted shortly after his birth and grew up in Lakeland, Florida. His adoptive father, Quillian Yancey, was an attorney and politician who served in the Florida House of Representatives for six years, while his mother was a legal secretary. He then moved back to Florida and enrolled in law school, where he spent a year before dropping out.

Career Yancey taught English classes and worked at a community theater before getting hired by the Internal Revenue Service in 1991, where he worked as a tax collector for the next twelve years, living primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee. His first novel was published in 2003, and he quit his job at the IRS the following year to write full-time.