Bret Easton Ellis (March 7th, 1964) is an American author who has published various successful novels. A child of divorce, he took up writing at the age of 21 with his novel Less Than Zero. One of his most controversial works, American Psycho, was released in 1991 and stirred up criticism for its misogynistic themes, and graphic content. However, both the novel and the film adaptation from 2000 are now widely considered cult classics. Ellis is unique in the sense that all of his books take place in one universe. For example, the protagonist of American Psycho shows up in some of his other novels. Ellis has stated that Patrick Bateman was loosely based on himself. Ellis was the same age, and lived in the same building as Bateman, and also had a similar lifestyle. Ellis is openly gay, but did not disclose that information at the time of American Psycho’s release, as he thought it would influence people’s perception of the book. Like American Psycho, many of his novels are satires of society. Ellis has published 7 novels, and is currently writing another, Tranquil Reflections, due to be released in 2015. For more on the famous writer, follow him @BretEastonEllis on Twitter.