Gary A.Friedly was born in Billings, MT. During high school, Gary worked on the family cattle ranch in Cinnabar Basin located on the north edge of Yellowstone Park. He graduated from Gardiner High ...view moreGary A.Friedly was born in Billings, MT. During high school, Gary worked on the family cattle ranch in Cinnabar Basin located on the north edge of Yellowstone Park. He graduated from Gardiner High School and the University of Montana with a degree in Science Education. After three years in the classroom, he was admitted to a 12-month internship at the Long Beach VA Hospital which prepared him for the state and national licensing exams. Most of his career, he worked as a clinical laboratory scientist at University of California-Irvine Medical Center in the Clinical Microbiology laboratory. In addition to his clinical work he enjoyed research and technical writing. During his tenure there, several articles and research papers were published in the scientific literature. His first novel, Bridge Over the Valley, a youth drama set in Valley City, North Dakota, was chosen as a finalist in the 2011 San Diego Book Awards for excellence. He is currently in the research stage for his next book which is to be a narrative nonfiction of true crime based on the tragic murder of his former classmate.view less