Wil Mara is an American author of more than eighty books, covering a variety of topics and genres for people of all ages. He has produced works of both fiction and nonfiction, including numerous biographies for young readers, plus several novels for adults. One, Wave, which was released in 2005, chronicles a coastal island community's reaction to an oncoming tsunami. Finished in autumn of 2004, the book's publication was delayed after a real tsunami struck southern Asia in December, claiming more than 200,000 lives. The book eventually became a critical and commercial success, winning the 2005 New Jersey Notable Book Award and establishing Mara as a valid author of popular international fiction.