Martyn Burke's previous novels include Laughing War, The Commissar's Report, Ivory Joe, Tiara, The Shelling of Beverly Hills, and The Truth About the Night. He is also a documentary film maker, whose Under Fire: Journalists in Combat won a Peabody Award in 2013. He has written extensively for film and television, most notably as writer of HBO'S timely and biting political satire, The Second Civil War; and writer/director of the hugely successful cable movie Pirates of Silicon Valley, which was nominated for five Emmys including Best Screenplay and Best Picture, the Producers Guild Award for Best Film, Directors Guild Award for Best Directing and the Writers Guild Award for Best Screenplay. His work has been nominated for numerous awards, including Emmys, Directors Guild, and Writers Guild awards. Recently, a series based on his novel The Commissar's Report, was sold to HBO. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, he now lives half the year in Toronto and the other half in Santa Monica. As a journalist, he has seen action in the mountains of Afghanistan and, as an observer of the absurdities of American culture, he has ventured into the clubs of Hollywood.