Biography

Steven N. Leek

Author Steven Leek was born in San Francisco in 1965 and, at the age of 12, he and his family moved to Brookings, Oregon. He attended Brookings-Harbor High School where he excelled in baseball, drama and forensics before enrolling at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He graduated from the U of O with a B.A. degree in history plus a secondary teaching certificate. Leek then traveled to Asia, and for two years taught English in Yokohama, Japan. There, he met and fell in love with his wife, Shoko, a Japanese national. After returning to the states, Leek enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an aircraft mechanic, a decision that would prove pivotal in his next careers. Upon returning to civilian life in 1997, he worked building mighty 747s for the Boeing Company in Everett, Washington. He also served a stint with Horizon Air, a regional airline, as a team captain in the ground-operations department. With his eyes firmly affixed on the sky, Leek then earned his commercial pilot’s license and flight instructor certificate. He is presently on a leave of absence from flight instructing to raise his two daughters, ages 7 and 9. He is an active father, world traveler and avid runner, competing in 10K and half-marathon races. He and his family live outside of Seattle, Washington.