John Florio was raised in Flushing, NY. He credits the streets of Queens as one of his biggest influences, along with black-and-white movies, old superhero comics, Sports Illustrated, Humphrey Bogart, and the Hardy Boys. He plays classical piano, which explains why his work includes numerous musical references, and he's no stranger to a chilled martini, which could account for his creation of Jersey Leo, the albino bartender who stars in Sugar Pop Moon and Blind Moon Alley.