Thomas W. Knowles writes SF and fantasy short stories ("Curtain Call," "Luck of the Draw," "Captured Angel," and "Just the Right Light") that cross genres and mingle actual historical events with myth and legend. His award-winning non-fiction books--the Wild West series (edited with Joe R. Lansdale, published by Random House in the 1990s) and his ongoing multi-volume history of the Texas Rangers, They Rode for the Lone Star--chronicle the history of the American West, the American Indian cultures, the United States military, and 19th-century law enforcement organizations. His interest in these subjects stems from his heritage as a fourth generation Texan. His ancestors fought on both sides during the long and bloody conflict between the Comanche and the Texas Rangers, and on both sides during the American Civil War.He is an honorary life member (along with Chuck Norris and Clayton Moore) of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas, and served as historian in residence at that museum in 1997-1998 while he researched and wrote the first volume of They Rode for the Lone Star. He is also a partner in and the managing editor of two publishing companies: Lone Star Publishing (www.lonestarpublishing.net) and DarkStar Books (www.darkstarbooks.net).