An American novelist and journalist, born in New York, the United States. He studied at Portsmouth Abbey School and graduated cum laude from Yale University in 1976. He then moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a speechwriter for Vice President George H. W. Bush in 1981. He also worked for Forbes magazine. He's known for the novel "Thank You for Smoking", which was adapted into the 2005 film of the same name.