John Ringo had visited 23 countries and attended 14 schools by the time he graduated high school. This left him with a wonderful appreciation of the oneness of humanity and a permanent aversion to foreign food. He chose to study marine biology and really liked it. Unfortunately the pay was for beans. So he turned to quality control database management, where the pay was much better.

But then Fate took a hand: John has become a professional author and over course of time has published numerous novels including the Legacy of the Aldenata (combat SF), Paladin of Shadows (technothriller), Council Wars (SF/fantasy cross), Looking Glass (hard combat SF) and Special Circumstances (Christian urban demon hunter) series’. His latest series (yes, he does keep starting them) is the Spiral Arm Wars.

With his bachelor years spent in the airborne, cave diving, rock-climbing, rappelling, hunting, spear-fishing, and sailing, the author is now happy to let other people risk their necks. He sits on his back porch, thinks big thoughts, consumes amazing quantities of caffeine and nicotine then hallucinates his way through a novel. All of his books are available in deadtree as hardcovers or paperbacks in any local or internet bookstore and in electronic form (at a reasonable price, no DRM and cross platform) through webscriptions.net.

Travis S. Taylor—"Doc" Taylor to his friends—has earned his soubriquet the hard way: He has a Doctorate in Optical Science and Engineering, a Master's degree in Physics, a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, all from the University of Alabama in Huntsville; a Master's degree in Astronomy from the University of Western Sydney, and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University.

Dr. Taylor has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past sixteen years. He's currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space-based beamed energy systems, and next generation space launch concepts. Most recently, he has appeared on The History Channel’s “Life after People.”

In his copious spare time, Doc Travis is also a black belt martial artist, a private pilot, a SCUBA diver, races mountain bikes, competed in triathlons, and has been the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of several hard rock bands. He currently lives with his wife Karen, daughter Kalista Jade, two dogs Stevie and Wesker, and his cat Kuro, in north Alabama.  More information about Dr. Taylor can be found on his Web site: www.doctravis.com

A 2009/2008/2007 Hugo Award nominee, 2008 Philip K. Dick Award nominee, 2008/2006 Chesley Award winner/nominee, and 2006 World Fantasy Award nominee, Lou Anders is the editorial director of Prometheus Books' science fiction and fantasy imprint Pyr, as well as the anthologies With Great Power... (Gallery Books, July 2010), Swords & Dark Magic (Eos, June 2010, coedited with Jonathan Strahan), Fast Forward 2 (Pyr, October 2008), Sideways in Crime (Solaris, June 2008),Fast Forward 1(Pyr, February 2007), FutureShocks (Roc, January 2006), Projections: Science Fiction in Literature & Film (MonkeyBrain, December 2004), Live Without a Net (Roc, 2003), and Outside the Box (Wildside Press, 2001).

In 2000, he served as the Executive Editor of Bookface.com, and before that he worked as the Los Angeles Liaison for Titan Publishing Group.

He is the author of The Making of Star Trek: First Contact (Titan Books, 1996), and has published over 500 articles in such magazines as The Believer, Publishers Weekly, Dreamwatch, DeathRay, free inquiry, Star Trek Monthly, Star Wars Monthly, Babylon 5 Magazine, Sci Fi Universe, Doctor Who Magazine, and Manga Max.

His articles and stories have been translated into Danish, Greek, German, Italian and French. Visit him online at www.louanders.com and www.pyrsf.com

Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago in 1951 and grew up in the western suburb of Lombard. After spending way too many years studying physics, he quit two years short of a doctorate and began a full-time career writing science fiction.

Since then he has published over eighty short stories and novelettes, thirty-eight novels, and four short fiction collections. Along the way he won a Hugo Award in 1984 for the novella “Cascade Point.”

He is best known for his eight Star Wars books: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, and Allegiance. Other books include the Quadrail series, the Cobra series, and the young-adult Dragonback series.

His most recent books are From the Ashes, a prequel to last year’s movie Terminator Salvation; Cobra Alliance, the first of the new Cobra War trilogy; and The Domino Pattern, the fourth in the Quadrail series. Upcoming books include Trial by Fire, a sequel to Terminator Salvation, and an as-yet untitled Star Wars book.

The Zahn family lives on the Oregon coast, where only a tsunami can ruin a perfect day.

Stephanie Osborn is a former payload flight controller, a veteran of over twenty years of working in the civilian space program, as well as various military space defense programs.

Stephanie holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in four sciences: Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, and she is "fluent" in several more, including Geology and Anatomy. She obtained her various degrees from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

She has worked on numerous Space Shuttle flights and the International Space Station, and counts the training of astronauts on her resume. Of thoseastronauts she trained, one was Kalpana Chawla, or "K.C.," a member of the crew lost in the Columbia disaster.

Stephanie is currently retired from space work. She now happily "passes it forward," tutoring math and science to students in the Huntsville area, from elementary through college, while writing science fiction mysteries based on her knowledge, experience, and travels.

Her current novel in work at Twilight Times Books is Burnout, a science fiction mystery about a Space Shuttle disaster that turns out to be no accident. As the true scope of the disaster is gradually uncovered by the principal investigators, "Crash" Murphy and Dr. Mike Anders, they find themselves running for their lives, as lovers, friends and coworkers involved in the investigation perish around them. What happened to the Shuttle? Who is responsible and why? Why is the government calling it an accident? Why is someone willing to kill to keep it a secret? And how big is the conspiracy? An exciting action techno-thriller, Burnout will leave you on the edge of your seat, not wanting to put it down.

http://www.sff.net/people/steph-osborn

J.F. Lewis lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his patient wife, two adorable sons, an ornery Akita, and a very hyper Labrador-mix puppy.  He decided that he wanted to be a writer when a supposed creative writing teacher questioned his sanity and suggested therapy. Staked was his first novel.  J spent eight wonderful years working in comic and game stores and is currently employed by AT&T.

An avid reader, J also enjoys sushi, popcorn, lukewarm sodas, and old black and white movies. His two favorite activities are singing lullabies to his kids at bedtime and typing into the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately, like the protagonist of his Void City novels, the author takes very little sleep.

His Web site: http://www.authoratlarge.com/

Author M. B. Weston is one of the fantasy genre's new, emerging voices. The Elysian Chronicles, her fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason, has been referred to as, "filling a big part of the void that will be left by the final Harry Potter," by award-winning author, Vincent O'Neil. The first book in the series, A Prophecy Forgotten, was published in March 2007, and its sequel, Out of the Shadows, is slated for release this winter. The Elysian Chronicles is also being adapted into a graphic novel series by Wandering Sage Press, Inc., with M. B. Weston penning the script and KISS comic book artist, Adam Black, doing the art. A Prophecy Forgotten: The Graphic Novel is slated for publication in 2009.

Weston is known as a gifted orator and often speaks at writers conference workshops and panels, classrooms, and science fiction & fantasy conventions about the craft of writing and the process of getting published. Weston is also a radio talk show host for The Final Cut in Movies, the show that puts science fiction and fantasy movies center stage, with Ad Astra Radio, an internet science fiction and fantasy talk radio station. The Final Cut in Movies can also be downloaded as a podcast at M. B. Weston's Podcasts site or on iTunes.