Michael G. Manning is the author of the popular Mageborn and Art of the Adept book series. He spent his formative years in Texas, reading fantasy books and concocting home-grown experiments in his backyard. Later at college his love of beer blossomed, and his love of role-playing games led to what he calls his ‘best year ever’ and what his family calls ‘the lost year’. Eventually he graduated and became a pharmacist, though being free-spirited wasn’t necessarily a great trait to possess in a career focused on perfection and the letter-of-the-law. At some point he started writing books and here we are. Now retired from pharmacy, he lives in Texas with his kids, and a menagerie of fantastic creatures, including dogs, cats, and a prehistoric turtle.