In a career spanning more than a half-century, Tom Fitzgerald has authored a wide-ranging collection of impactful books, including the bestselling novel Chocolate Charlie, the popular fitness title Get Tough!, and the critically acclaimed Poor Richard's Lament.

Raised in Upstate New York on the St. Lawrence River, Fitzgerald completed a series of solo open-water swims in his late teens and early 20s before joining the United States Navy and serving in Vietnam as a member of the Special Forces. He later ran the Boston Marathon three times.

Fitzgerald began working on Road to Redemption (originally titled A Private Agony) in 1982, completing the novel after a lengthy hiatus at the urging of the second of his three sons, Matt Fitzgerald, himself the author of many books on running.