Derek Nikitas

Like the protagonist of his debut novel Pyres (St. Martin's Minotaur, 2007), Derek Nikitas was born on Saint Lucy's Day, December thirteenth.

Raised in Manchester, NH, then Rochester, NY, he earned his MFA in Creative Writing from UNC-Wilmington. He is currently pursuing a PhD in English from Georgia State University, and has published stories in The Ontario Review, Chelsea, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and The Pedestal Magazine.

His story "Wonder" received an honorable mention from the Pushcart Prize, and in 2007 he was a Walter E. Dakin Fellow at the Sewanee Writers' Conference. His novel Pyres has been nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel.