Author and English professor Charles Frazier’s novel “Cold Mountain” shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for more than a year upon its release in 1997, cementing his name as a literary mainstay for years to come. The Appalachian backdrop from Cold Mountain reappears in “Thirteen Moons” and “Nightwoods,” Frazier’s two other novels published since his initial success. Frazier holds a doctorate in American literature at the University of South Carolina in 1986. Frazier is also an avid mountain biker.