Ben Hayward was born in San Diego, California. He is a longtime resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan and a graduate of Purdue University with a B.S. in Computer Science and a Minor in English. As a child, his father read him Lord of the Rings and Stephen King's Eye of the Dragon. By the age of seven, he was reading such books for himself and engrossed in Sierra's classic games, King's Quest and Quest for Glory. By age eleven he had moved on to Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. His love of Fantasy and Mystery has only grown over the years. From Emond's Field to the Dunes of Arrakis, through Baker's Street to the Orient Express and on. In 2007, he began writing seriously, and before he'd realized it, the first three novels of The Bleeding Sun were born, forming the inital arc of the epic tale.

A passionate sports fan, he fervently cheers the Michigan Wolverines and the Tom Brady led Patriots. His hobbies include soccer, tennis and basketball. An avid camper and hiker, he once backpacked over 100 miles through the rugged mountain trails of northern Yosemite. He has rafted whitewater and climbed the cliffs of Colorado, and he makes a point of periodically dragging his friends off to campgrounds and wilderness trails. During the summer months, he can often be found canoeing or kayaking on Michigan's rivers.