Lifeline

About the Authors

Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson is the author of nearly 100 novels, 48 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists; he has over 22 million books in print in thirty languages. He has won or been nominated for the Nebula Award, Bram Stoker Award, the SFX Reader’s Choice Award, and New York Times Notable Book.

Anderson has co-authored eleven books in the DUNE saga with Brian Herbert. After writing ten DUNE-universe novels with Herbert, the coauthors created their own series, HELLHOLE. Anderson’s popular epic SF series, THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS, is his most ambitious work, and he is recently finished a sweeping fantasy trilogy, TERRA INCOGNITA, about sailing ships, sea monsters, and the crusades. As an innovative companion project to TERRA INCOGNITA, Anderson co-wrote (with wife Rebecca Moesta) the lyrics for two ambitious rock CDs based on the novels. Performed by the supergroup Roswell Six for ProgRock Records, the two CDs feature performances by rock legends from Kansas, Dream Theater, Asia, Saga, Rocket Scientists, Shadow Gallery, and others.

His novel Enemies & Allies chronicles the first meeting of Batman and Superman in the 1950s; Anderson also wrote The Last Days of Krypton. He has written numerous STAR WARS projects, including the Jedi Academy trilogy, the Young Jedi Knights series (with Moesta), and Tales of the Jedi comics from Dark Horse. Fans might also know him from his X-FILES novels or Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son.

His website is www.wordfire.com.

Doug Beason

Dr. J. Douglas Beason is the author of fourteen books—eight with collaborator Kevin J. Anderson, including Ignition and Ill Wind—as well as two non-fiction books.

A Nebula Award finalist, Doug’s short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, and he has written for publications as diverse as Analog, Amazing Stories, Physical Review Letters and Physics of Fluids to Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Science, Technology and Society. Doug and Kevin’s novel The Trinity Paradox holds the distinction of being the first work of fiction ever nominated for the American Physical Society’s Forum award for promoting the understanding of physics in society, and was the first novel ever reviewed in Physics Today.

A Fellow of the American Physical Society (http://www.aps.org/) and PhD physicist, Doug has over 30 years of R&D experience that spans conducting basic research to directing applied-science programs and formulating national policy. In 2008, he retired as the Associate Laboratory Director for Threat Reduction at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (http://www.lanl.gov/), where he was responsible for programs that reduced the global threat of weapons of mass destruction. Before moving to Los Alamos, Doug completed a 24 year career as a US Air Force officer, retiring as a Colonel. His last active duty assignment was as the Commander of the Phillips Research Site (http://www.kirtland.af.mil/prs/) (Kirtland AFB) and Deputy Director for Directed Energy at the Air Force Research Laboratory (http://www.afrl.af.mil/). He has worked on the White House staff for the President’s Science Advisor under both the Clinton and Bush Administrations, as the key White House staffer for space science and technology. He has also served on a Vice Presidential committee headed by astronaut Tom Stafford (commander of Apollo-Soyuz and Apollo 10) to generate plans for the nation to return to the Moon and go on to Mars; directed an Air Force plasma physics research group; served in a dual appointment as an Associate Professor of Physics and Director of Faculty Research at the U.S. Air Force Academy (http://www.usafa.af.mil/); performed research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (http://www.llnl.gov/); and was a special advisor to Auburn University. He recently served on the USAF Science Advisory Board, is on the Air and Space Power Journal (http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apje.html) Editorial Board and was previously Vice President of the Directed Energy Professional Society (http://www.deps.org/).

Doug is a 1977 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy (http://www.usafa.af.mil/) (dual B.S. in Physics and Mathematics), and holds an MS in Physics (University of New Mexico (http://www.unm.edu/)), an MS in National Resource Strategy (National Defense University (http://www.ndu.edu/)), a PhD in Physics (University of New Mexico (http://www.unm.edu/)), and was a military senior service school Distinguished Graduate from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (http://www.ndu.edu/icaf/). The author of over 50 scholarly papers, his book Science and Technology Policy for the post-Cold War: A Case for Long-Term Research, was awarded the National Defense University President’s “Strategic Vision” award and was used as a textbook. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (http://www.aps.org/), and Life Member of both the US Air Force Academy Association of Graduates (http://www.aog-usafa.org/) and the Science Fiction Writers of America (http://www.sfwa.org/). An Eagle Scout, he has lived in Canada, the Philippine Islands, and Okinawa. He graduated from Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, VA, has been married 32 years, and is the proud father of two daughters.

He currently lives in Colorado and serves as Chief Scientist for the USAF Space Command.