David is the author of The Town Built on Sorrow (Sept. 2017-Flux), 2016 MN Book Award finalist The Firebug of Balrog County (Flux), the Bram Stoker-nominated The Suicide Collectors (St. Martin's Press), And the Hills Opened Up (Burnt Bridge), and Wormwood, Nevada (St. Martin's Press). He holds an MFA in Writing from Hamline University and a BA in English from St. Olaf College. He lives in St. Paul, MN.

"Take one angry 18-year-old, sprinkle with zingy narrative, and add a match." --Kirkus Reviews

"Beautifully written and full of honest characters ... This book is a winner." --VOYA

"In this biting coming-of-age novel ... Oppegaard doesn't offer an easy solution to Mack's problems, instead opting for a realistic and sensitive resolution that leaves on a hopeful note." --Booklist

"A great read." --School Library Connection

"Spectacular--and satisfying." --St. Paul Pioneer Press

"This darkly comic coming-of-age story with tremendously likable characters also packs a serious emotional punch." --StarTribune

"David Oppegaard's The Firebug of Balrog County kept me up all night. I liked Mack, the firebug, so much, I wanted to save him myself. I wanted to climb in the story and call the cops." --Geoff Herbach, author of Stupid Fast