Dragons - Worlds Afire

About

R.A. Salvatore was born in Massachusetts in 1959. His love affair with fantasy, and with literature in general, began during his sophomore year of college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as a Christmas gift. He promptly changed his major from computer science to journalism. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications in 1981, then returned for the degree he always cherished, the Bachelor of Arts in English. He began writing seriously in 1982, penning the manuscript that would become Echoes of the Fourth Magic.

His first published novel was The Crystal Shard from TSR in 1988 and he is still best known as the creator of the dark elf Drizzt, one of fantasy’s most beloved characters.

His novel The Silent Blade won the Origins Award, and in the fall of 1997, his letters, manuscripts, and other professional papers were donated to the R. A. Salvatore Library at his alma mater, Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

When Todd Lockwood attended his first Science Fiction and Fantasy convention in Winnipeg, Ontario, a door was opened that would lead to a staff position at TSR, the makers of the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Over the next seven years, he built an impressive body of fantasy images, and helped to redefine the look of the popular Dungeons & Dragons game for the Third Edition release.

His work has been honored with multiple appearances in Spectrum and the Communication Arts Illustration Annual twelve Chesleys, two prestigious World Fantasy Art Show awards, and numerous industry awards. Now he finds himself, his wife, and three children in Washington state, freelancing again, but doing the kind of work he enjoys, with fans all over the planet. His first art book, Transitions, from Chrysalis books (UK), was released in September of 2003. You can see more of his work at his website, www.toddlockwood.com.