Jeff Kinney was born in Maryland and attended college at the University of Maryland. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two sons. He wrote Diary of a Wimpy Kid as a comic for his son but couldn't get it published, so he self-published it online where it became very popular. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. It was later published as a novel and became a New York Times bestseller, spawning a popular film franchise.