Kevin J. Anderson is the author of a daunting array of science-fiction books for young adults, and has emerged as one of the most successful writers in the genre's history. Over ten million books of Anderson's were in print by the late 1990s, and in 1998 he set the world record for largest single-author book signing while promoting his spoof-filled spy thriller, Ai! Pedrito!, in Los Angeles. In addition to creating original novels with themes of space exploration and new frontiers, Anderson has written many books in the "Star Wars" series for teen readers under the auspices of Lucasfilm. For a 1999 prequel to the classic sci-fi tome Dune, Anderson set another record when he was signed to the most lucrative book publishing contract ever drawn up for a science-fiction author.

Anderson was born in 1962 and grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. He recalled in a biography published...