DAVID PORTER worked for decades as director of history museums and related institutions in Oregon. He always had a passion for stories of the past. He wrote stories and poems from the time he was a teenager and was first published in "Portland Review" when in college. That led him to work as a freelance writer and poet during the '70s. He is the author of "Clearing The Sky Of Thickets" a collection of poetry with a distinct Pacific Northwest voice. "The Death of Will Dodican" originated from a promise to his paternal grandmother that he would try to unravel the mystery of her uncle William Dodican's death far from home in the New Mexican desert in October 1905. The puzzle had tormented Will's sisters throughout their lives. Is there a clear answer to the question "Who killed Will?" Read Porter's diligent effort to sort through the available evidence as well as to understand the time and places through which the characters played out the sad story. The search led him to discoveries which he hadn't known about his family. Porter admires Erik Larson's style and scholarship in "The Devil in the White City" and other works. His intent is to bring a touch of that flavor to this first work of historic dramatization. Porter lives in the Portland area with his wife Mary and a cat named Tiger. He hopes that his children will be inspired to learn more about the people who came before them because of the book.