A native of West Virginia, Gary Clites is a teacher, writer, and journalist living in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. He holds degrees in Journalism from West Virginia University and the University of Maryland. He has been very active in state and national scholastic journalism organizations for much of his career including the Maryland-DC Scholastic Press Association and the Journalism Education Association. He has been technology columnist for the Dow Jones News Fund's publication Adviser Update for nearly 20 years. His first novel, Seneca Wood, was published in 2009. He has served as editor and publisher of three books of local history written by his father, Gary Clites Sr.