Started at 45. Never stopped.

Dale Langlois didn't plan on being a writer. Recovering from back surgery in his mid-forties, with time on his hands and a story in his head, he taught himself to type from a library book and started writing. Eight years and a lot of lessons later, his first novel, The Second Intelligent Species, reached the top four in Amazon's dystopian and science fiction adventure charts during its launch promotion.

He learned the craft the hard way: local writers' groups, the Adirondack Center for Writing at Paul Smith's College, editors, agents, and a crew of coworkers he calls his Alpha Team, who read every draft and don't sugarcoat a thing. When a work injury laid him up again years later, his crew carried him a quarter mile to the ambulance, and he spent the recovery finishing his second book, the novella An Elevator Pitch.

A story has to be original, believable and honestly told. Writing isn't a gift. It's a skill you earn.

After decades in an aluminum smelter, Dale is now retired and writing full time. When he isn't at the keyboard, he's in the woods: hunting, hiking and paying attention to the seasons, which show up in everything he writes.

• 2 booksa novel and a novella
• 3,000+ copiesof his debut in readers' hands
• Self-taughtlearned to type at 45
• Alpha Teamcoworkers read every draft first