Brad Herzog lives on California’s Monterey Peninsula with his wife, Amy, and his son, Luke. In a career notable for its range of style and subject matter, he has published two 400-page titles, many children’s books and hundreds of magazine pieces for an audience of millions. Herzog has covered topics ranging from the civil rights movement to sports car racing, from golf course design to the Grateful Dead. He has published books encompassing 200 years of American sports and 35,000 miles of the American scene.

    After graduating with honors from Cornell University in 1990, Herzog remained in Ithaca, New York, beginning his career as a newspaper reporter for The Ithaca Journal. At age 23, he received a “Best of Gannett” award from the newspaper’s parent corporation for his six-part series on Native American nicknames and institutionalized racism in sports. He was also honored with the Cornell University Media Award.

    A freelance writer since 1992, Herzog writes frequently for several national publications, including Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated For Kids, Writer’s Digest, Via, Delta Airline’s Sky magazine and USAirway’s Attache. For his feature writing in Cornell Magazine, Herzog received the top honor – a Grand Gold Medal – from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

    Herzog’s passion for writing has taken many forms. His first screenplay, Spin Art, was chosen as a finalist in the Monterey County Film Commission Screenwriting Contest. He is also the author of more than a dozen books for children, including a novel for fifth graders, Freddy in the Fridge. In 1996, he published The Sports 100 (Macmillan), which ranks and profiles the most important people in U.S. sports history, from Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth to the inventors of the jump shot and the point spread.

    In 1999, Herzog published a travel narrative, States of Mind (John F. Blair), which one reviewer claimed “will stand with Travels with Charley as a rare road-trip book to endure.” Turning a figurative search for elusive qualities into a literal and allegorical search, he constructed essays on 18 tiny hamlets, from Faith (South Dakota) and Hope (Mississippi) to Pride (Alabama) and Joy (Illinois). States of Mind received an IPPY award as one of the ten outstanding books from independent publishers in 2000. In May 2001, it was reprinted as a trade paperback from Pocket Books, and plans are underway to turn it into a 13-part documentary series on PBS.

    States of Mind’s critical acclaim was accompanied by commercial success. Following Herzog’s appearance on Who Wants to be a Millionaire in April 2000, the book immediately soared to #7 on the Amazon.com best-seller list. After his interview on NBC’s Today Show, States of Mind rose to #2, behind only a Harry Potter title. Several printings followed, as Herzog was the subject of articles in Entertainment Weekly, Time, People, Reader’s Digest and dozens of newspapers across the country. He has been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and more than 50 radio and television programs, as well as the subject of a national commercial on ABC television.