Otto Schmalz is a retired professional engineer. His daughter encouraged him to write his autobiography, and Out of the Ruins is the result. He wrote it to tell his story, but also to provide insight into the past. He believes that, to know how to go into the future, people must first know whence they have come.

Schmalz lives in Ottawa with his wife, Gertrud. He published As The Bombs Fell in December 2018. This is his second book.