Born May 17, 1939, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Gary Paulsen is an avid outdoorsman, a man of many interests, and a prolific and accomplished writer.

He has worked as a field engineer, editor, actor, director, farmer, rancher, truck driver, trapper, singer, sailor, and as a soldier. Serving with the U.S.

Army from 1959-1962, Paulsen attained the rank of sergeant; his military experience allies him closely with one of two central characters in his novel The Crossing.

Paulsen has authored more than twenty novels for young adults, numerous works of nonfiction, several plays and over two hundred short stories and articles. He most recently achieved acclaim in the world of adult fiction with Winterdance, a narrative rooted in his running of the Iditarod.

Participating in this twelve hundredmile dog sled race from Iditarod to Nome, Alaska, was, by the author's own account, a life-changing adventure.

Paulsen has...