About Alan Drew

In 1999, Alan Drew set off for Istanbul to teach English literature to high school students. Four days after he arrived, an earthquake devastated the area, and the event left an impression on the author that would form the backdrop for his debut novel, Gardens of Water.

Drew has stated that although he was born and raised in southern California, and had experienced earthquakes before, he had never witnessed the kind of devastation he saw in Turkey that year. It was while he was participating in the relief effort and observing the dynamics of the relationship between the aid workers and the poverty-stricken victims that the ideas that inform his novel really began to take shape.

Perhaps you'd like to read about it in his words! Here's an interview from bookreporter.com, along with some more biographical information.