Wm. (William) Mark Simmons, born 1953 in Independence, Missouri, is an American writer best known for his humorous fantasy and horror novels. Simmons has worked as a journalist, educator, entertainer, and broadcaster, spending more than 30 years in the latter category working in classical music formats for National Public Radio affiliates. Although he garnered awards as a journalist in his twenties, he did not turn his talents to long-form fiction until his late thirties, publishing his first novel in 1990. A Compton Crook Award finalist, he made Locus Magazine's "Best Lists" in 1991.