Strand was born in
Baltimore, Maryland, and moved to
Fairbanks, Alaska, at six months of age. Prior to his freshman year of high school, he moved to
Kent, Ohio, and attended
Theodore Roosevelt High School, graduating in 1989. He went on to
Bowling Green State University in
Bowling Green, Ohio, where he majored in creative writing. After graduating college, he briefly returned to Alaska before moving back to Ohio. His next move was to
Tucson, Arizona. In 2000, Strand published
Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary), through Hard Shell Word Factory. It was the first novel in the horror-comedy style for which he would later become known. In 2006, his novel
Pressure was the first of his books to be nominated for a
Bram Stoker Award, in the
Best Novel category. In 2022, "Next Best Baker," included in ''Baker's Dozen'' from Uncomfortably Dark, won a Splatterpunk Award in the Best Short Story Category. He emceed the Bram Stoker Awards ten times.
Dweller (2010) was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 2010. As a screenwriter, Strand is an active member of the
Writers Guild of America (WGA). == Style ==