He is the son of Spanish and Italian immigrants. Lopez is a native of Pittsburg, CA and attended San Jose State University. He has been on staff at Time Inc. and written for Time, Life, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated. In addition, he was on staff at the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune. He wrote the novels Third and Indiana, The Sunday Macaroni Club, and In the Clear. He has also written a collection of his works from The Philadelphia Inquirer titled Land of Giants.