Leonard Durso is a native New Yorker, who grew up on Long Island in the small town of Lynbrook. Istanbul Days, Istanbul Nights is his sixth published novel, with his previous works spanning thriller, drama, and contemporary fiction genres. Prior to taking on writing full-time, Durso was the Director of The English Language Institute at Nassau Community College, where he was influential in teaching the English language to immigrants living on Long Island, New York. He later went on to become the Director of the ESL Program at Dowling College. In 2008, after years of wanting to teach English overseas, he took on the position of Director of the English Language Program at Plato College of Higher Education in Istanbul. In 2016, he also spent time as a journalist writing for a national Turkish newspaper. Durso received his B.S. and M.F.A from Bowling Green State University as well as an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. He currently resides in Izmir, Turkey.