Val Gale was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He served in The US Army from 1991 to 1996, stationed in New York and Seoul, Korea. He completed a B.A. in 1999 from Grandview University in Des Moines after his honorable discharge. Identifying as Trans he focuses full time on his writing since an industrial accident amputated his hand and ended his work in a tire facility, creating an opportunity to pursue his lifelong passion for creative fiction. His first novel, Different, a semi-autobiographical YA novel about a trans teen, was published in 2017. He recently completed Hunter, an LGBTQ novel telling the story of post-transition trans relationships. He is currently working on an LGBTQ suspense novel and experimenting with short fiction.