Don Helin - Author

Don Helin is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota where he attended the University of Minnesota. After graduation, he entered the US Army for a three-year assignment and ended up staying for a career. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Iowa, and a Masters Degree in Hospital Administration from George Washington University.

His time in the military took him to such garden spots as Salinas, California; Tacoma, Washington; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Leavenworth, Kansas; San Antonio, Texas; Hinesville, Georgia; Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and Washington D.C.

Don served overseas in Vietnam and Frankfurt, Germany.

Don and his wife have three daughters and one son; and five grandchildren. Elaine and Don live in Pennsylvania with Murphy, their loveable West Highland White Terrier.

During his three tours in Washington, Don spent nearly seven years in the Pentagon. He uses that experience to create Colonel Sam Thorpe. In Don's fictionalized world, Sam has retired after twenty-five years in the army, six years as a member of the Pentagon's elite Anti-terrorist Task Force.

After he left the military, Don was a lobbyist for the Chemical Industry for eight years, giving him more material for thrillers.

In June, 2007, Don was thrilled to receive the call from Medallion Press that they want to publish his suspense/thriller, The Kingdom Come. The novel is expected to be on bookshelves in March 2009.

Both Don and his wife love to travel. They have enjoyed sea kayaking up and down the East Coast, in the Baja Peninsula, and in the boundary waters of Minnesota; cross-country skiing in northern Vermont, Minnesota, and New York State; hiking in Alaska; bicycling in Maine and Quebec; and birding in Norway.

They recently returned from a dog sledding trip to northern Minnesota.

Prior to switching to fiction, Don spent several years as a travel writer. His articles appeared in local and regional newspapers and the statewide magazine, Pennsylvania Magazine.