ELLIOT ACKERMAN is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Halcyon , 2034 , Red Dress In Black and White , Waiting for Eden , Dark at the Crossing , and Green on Blue , as well as the memoir The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan , and Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning . His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize among others. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and Marine veteran who served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He divides his time between New York City and Washington, D.C.