Writer R. A. Salvatore was born in Leominster, Massachusetts on January 20, 1959. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He began writing seriously in 1982 and became a full-time writer in 1990. He has published more than a dozen novels, mostly fantasy, including The Halfling's Gem, Sojourn, The Legacy and Starless Night (all New York Times bestsellers), but has also written the Star Wars novel, Vector Prime. He still lives in Massachusetts with his wife and children.