From Model T Fords and biplanes to space shots, laser surgery, and microwave pizza, Jack Hunter has been there, done that. Born in 1921 in Hamilton, Ohio, he was raised in Kenmore, NY, schooled in Ridley Park, Pa., and, after graduation from Penn State with a degree in journalism, he served as a U.S. counter-intelligence agent in World War II. He subsequently worked as a newsman in Chester, Pa. and Wilmington, Del., then as a congressional staffer in Washington, and as a corporate PR executive in Charleston, W.Va., in Bridgeport and Newtown, Conn., and again in Wilmington.

Even as a boy, Hunter wanted to be a novelist, but the exigencies of war, peace, and family intervened, and he had to wait until he was 41 to write his first, "The Blue Max." It was a hit, became a million-copy seller worldwide and a major movie, and was followed by 15 other novels, most of them derived from his experiences in war, political intrigue, and corporate life. In later years, he and his wife, Shirley, settled in St. Augustine, FL, where he continues to write and pursue his "third career" as a professional aviation artist with an international clientele.

Richard Powers is a MacArthur Fellow. He lives in Urbana, Illinois.

Paul Michael Garcia, an AudioFile Earphones Award winner and former company member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, received his classical training in theater from Southern Oregon University, where he worked as an actor, director, and designer.