Nick Campanella likes transforming a foggy dream into a complete story. He currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota, a shining little city on a hill, overlooking the largest freshwater lake in the world. Nick is a first-time author. He attributes his passion for writing to the only dream he ever remembered: Path of Affliction.

Mr. Campanella’s foundation of hard work, respect, and teamwork was built on the hockey rink as a kid. His claim to glory is the fact he got a slashing penalty in the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament in 1996. After graduating high school, Nick enrolled full time at Lake Superior Community College for Sociology. After two years of college—like many 21-year-old kids—Nick went down the wrong path. Alcohol and an underworld party life consumed him. His grades slipped. And then he got robbed at gunpoint by masked intruders.

Surviving the robbery with an empty wallet, Nick re-evaluated his life and what he wanted. In order to carve out a new path, he eventually dropped out of college, quit drinking, and got a full-time job. Drifting from construction to a retail business in his late twenties, Nick discovered his true passion of writing at the age of 32.

Today, Nick Campanella is a father who likes to take long hikes in the woods with his daughter. His old legs need the exercise. Six years ago, he had surgery on his knee. Since then, he watches more hockey than he plays, but once or twice a year, he says he likes to lace up the skates and put a lil’ lumber in someone’s side, just so they know he’s there. (A line from Nick’s favorite movie, Slap Shot.)