Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 17, 1944, Jack L. Chalker earned a graduate degree in English and history from Johns Hopkins University. Between 1966 to 1978, Chalker taught history and geography in the Baltimore public school system, but now makes a living solely as a freelance writer. Chalker is the founder and sole owner of a publishing house, The Mirage Press, Ltd., which produces nonfiction and bibliographic works on science fiction and fantasy. Chalker has written Gods of the Well of Souls, a story of a ship-wrecked man, and The Changewinds, an account of two young women caught up in the fury of a powerful band of sorcerers. He has received numerous honors, including the Dedalus Award in 1983, the Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books award in 1984, the Skylark Award in 1985, and the Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award in 1979. Chalker lives in western Maryland.
