The Guggenheim Fellowship and Whiting Award-winning has published three acclaimed novels, including Ten Seconds, N, and Oscar Wilde Discovers America. Born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Edwards attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and Hunter College in New York City. After graduating from LSU with a BA in journalism, he moved to New Orleans, where he has had a decades-long career as a producer of music festivals and other special events. He is currently the chief creative officer and chief marketing officer of Festival Productions, Inc.-New Orleans, which produces the world-famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (aka Jazz Fest). He lives in New Orleans.