In 1999, Duke Tate became deathly ill after getting bitten by a Wolf Tick on The Appalachian Trail in Connecticut. Less was known about Lyme Disease at the time, so his strange symptoms went untreated even though he had all the telltale signs of Lyme. After over a year of being nearly bedridden, his family finally managed to get him treatment by a medical doctor with extensive IV and oral anti-biotics for Lyme. The medicine worked and he became well enough to re-enter culture and live on his own, but he was still chronically fatigued. As days turned into years, he pretended like he was well and started dating and working but was truly struggling with fatigue on a daily basis.
DUKE TATE
Duke Tate was born in 1980 in Jackson, Mississippi to Ken and Charme Tate.
He is married to the lovely Wiphawan Tate and the couple have two sons, Chirayu and Phiraphat, and a daughter named Isabella. The author of 41 books, his father and his memoir was released in 2020 and selected for The London Times Literary Supplement’s Books of the Year List.Â
With locations spanning the coast of Florida, Thailand, Alabama, Hawaii, Rhode Island, New York and California, Duke is known for his nautical fiction. A seasoned fisherman, he learned the hobby early from his grandpa Wilbur in the country of North Mississippi where the two fished for bream and bass.
His senior year at Kent boarding school, he got deathly ill with Lyme Disease, while clearing trails for his mountain biking team. After a lengthy battle with the illness, he attended The University of Mississippi in 2004. In one way or another, he spent the next ten years traveling, studying and learning the craft of writing.
In his spare time he is passionate about nutrition and CrossFit. He likes to write about magical realism, life, spirituality, the ocean and health. With his amazing wife, Wiphawan Tate, their children and beagle dog Sugar Magnolia, he divides his time between old Florida and Northern Thailand.
Collegiately, he attended the University of New Orleans, as well as Columbia University in high school, where he studied New York City History. His love for Manhattan is reflected deeply in his many references to it throughout his stories. His wife and he vacation there whenever possible.



