Paul Zindel was discovered in the mid-1960's by Charlotte Zolotow, who had seen a television production of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds and decided that Zindel must try his hand at young adult fiction. Mr. Zindel went on to become a pioneer in the genre as we know it today. His books for Harper Collins include The Doom Stone and Loch, both Recommended books for the Reluctant YA Reader (ALA), and the tragicomic memoir The Pigman & Me, which School Library Journal said in a starred review "allows readers a glimpse of Zindel's youth, gives them insight into some of his fictional characters, and provides many examples of universal experiences that will make them laugh and cry." The Pigman & Me was both a 1993 ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a 1993 ALA Notable Children's Book.