John Shirley was born in Houston, Texas in 1953 but spent the majority of his youth in Oregon. He has been a lead singer in a rock band, Obsession, writes lyrics for various bands, including Blue Oyster Cult, and in his spare time records with the Panther Moderns. He is the author of numerous works ina variety of genres; his story collection Heatseeker was chosen by the Locus Reader's Poll as one of the best collections of 1989. His latest novel is Wetbones.