Rob Byrnes is the author of four novels, including the 2006 Lambda Literary Award-winning When the Stars Come Out and 2009 Lammy finalist Straight Lies. His short stories have also appeared in several anthologies, including Fool for Love (2009), Saints & Sinners 2010: New Fiction from the Festival (2010), and Men of the Mean Streets (2011). A native of Upstate New York, Byrnes was born and raised in Rochester and graduated from Union College in Schenectady before moving to Manhattan. He now resides in West New York, New Jersey, with his partner, Brady Allen.