A.D. Burns is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was raised until 1988 when his family moved to Naperville, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BA in History and Latin, he attended the graduate program at Western Illinois University for Criminal Justice, Research & Statistics.

He began his career with a brief stint at the National Insurance Crime Bureau as a crime statistician, but soon discovered a passion for marketing. After working at Leo Burnett advertising in downtown Chicago, he later relocated to New York City to join Diageo as a Strategic Marketing Planner for such popular beverage alcohol brands as Guinness, Smirnoff Ice, and Crown Royal. In 2007, he moved once again to Miami, Florida to join Bacardi Global Brands.

A.D. Burns has taught graduate marketing in the MBA programs at DePaul University (Chicago), Fordham University (NYC), Pace University (NYC), and Barry University (Miami).

He lives happily in sunny Miami Beach and continues to write at Starbucks with every free moment. Contact him at adburns@adburns.com.