Derek R. Bridges is an award-winning public school educator and administrator. His recognitions include the Federal Bar Association's Excellence in Civics Education Award and the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals' Exemplary New Principal Award. He has presented at national conferences, mentored teachers from the Saudi Arabia Cultural Ministry, contributed to curriculum for the National Park Service, and served on the Teacher Advisory Council for the Judicial Learning Center at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse. His experience across a wide range of educational settings has shaped a deep understanding of the systems young people inherit and the stories we use to explain, justify, or resist them.His fiction blends emotional realism with speculative structure, exploring themes of state control, spiritual performance, and the cost of complicity. Valor Flakes: Part of a Complete Breakdown is his debut novel.He lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife and two children.