Aaron Allston was born in Corsicana, Texas, in 1960. He began writing at the age of 11, and became interested in journalism while in high school. He attended the University of Texas, at Austin, briefly, intending to study journalism, but after a semester at the university and a year working for The Austin American Statesman newspaper, he found he did not particularly like either college or journalism. At that point, Allston went to work for Space Games, a magazine for fantasy role-playing games, and quickly moved up to the position of editor. He also began designing supplements to role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, on a freelance basis, and by 1983 he was working full-time as a games designer. His first novel, Web of Danger, was based on the Top Secret/S.I. game line, and Allston has since written several other game-based novels. Allston also writes the bestselling Wraith Squadron series, which includes Wraith Squadron, Iron Fist, and Solo Command. Based on the Star Wars movies, these books continue the X-Wing series started by Mike Stackpole. Movie characters such as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia occasionally make cameo appearances in the series, but both Stackpole and Allston have created new characters for their books; Allston's series centers on the Wraith Squadron, a unit of fighter pilots composed mainly of misfits and criminals. Allston has also written some original fantasy novels, including Galatea in 2-D and Doc Sidhe.
