PJ Davis lives in the tiny mountain town of Brevard, North Carolina overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. He lives there with his wife, youngest son, three sleepy cats and three noisy ducks. For his day job, he names things, such as companies, products and services. he even named the town’s annual white squirrel festival.

PJ is a nickname, short for Phillip John, which is the type of long, formal-sounding name that parents only use when they are really mad about something you did and for which you are about to get into serious trouble. As a child PJ was a bit like his book character Max, and also suffered from ACHOO syndrome, along with bouts of intense curiosity and daydreaming. Growing up, almost all of his questions started with “what if…”, which drove his parents crazy.