William R. Burkett, Jr. is an acclaimed sci-fi writer, listed in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. He published his first novel at 18. A strapping youth who lived with his grandparents at Neptune Beach, Florida, his first job was as a copy boy for the Florida Times-Union and Jacksonville Journal, but that soon gave way to a position as feature writer. After a tour of duty as an M.P. in Germany, he resumed his journalistic career. Working in both the States and the Bahamas, he pursued a particular muse - duck hunting. That led to writing for hunting magazines and doing PR for the Washington State Highway Patrol and settlement in the Pacific Northwest where the ducks were plentiful and the fishing was good.