Devin Gray was born in Calgary, Alberta, where he grew up in a middle-class household surrounded by the wide-open spaces and natural beauty of Western Canada. As a proud member of Generation X, Devin spent much of his childhood outdoors, discovering early on that he felt most at home under open skies. His days were filled with camping trips, fishing excursions, mountain climbing, long hikes, afternoons spent swimming in cold rivers, and winters skiing down local slopes. Traveling became another formative passion, allowing him to explore new landscapes, cultures, and stories; experiences that would later seep into the worlds he creates on the page.

Before finding his calling as an educator, Devin immersed himself in a variety of outdoor-based jobs that reflected his love of nature and hands-on work. He spent summers guiding and supporting youth at camp, worked in landscaping and agriculture, developed expertise in horticulture and forestry, and even ran his own lawn-maintenance business for a couple of years. These roles not only strengthened his work ethic but also deepened his appreciation for the environment and the resilience of the people who work closely with it.