Rick Partlow is that rarest of species, a native Floridian. Born in Tampa, he attended Florida Southern College and graduated with a degree in history and a commission in the US Army as an Infantry officer. His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit-Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke, and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams, and Peter F. Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds. He has written over forty books in a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in twelve different anthologies. He lives in central Florida with his wife, two children, and two lovable mutts. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking, and camping. You know you're narrating a character right when your children grab your arm and say, "Daddy . . . read the bad guy normal, you're scaring us with the voice." Aside from reading villains in storybooks really well, Derek Shoales has worked on corporate, eLearning, and commercial voice-over projects, been a graphic/web designer and an inventory market mentor, sung bass to baritone in choirs, and played the guitar, electric violin, and Clare whistle.