Soldier, teacher, author, hobbyist; my past experiences find their way into my books. I have an imagination with few boundaries. I use that imagination extensively, particularly in my New Frontiers Series. By contrast, imagination figures in my Darwin's World series but there's also tons of personal experience. When I describe chipping flint, I've done it. I've set traps, made and used ropes, raised horses, spent a lot of time in the deep woods. But the series is really not about survival; that's how it begins, but by the time you reach The Return, it's begun to change to hard SF. I'm currently writing Defending Eden, which is not only hard SF, it has elements of space opera. The Wizards Series is about wish fulfillment. Who wouldn't want to find buried treasure, move huge objects, fly, and do in bad guys? With side journeys into saving lives and fighting wildfires? As for my novella, Hands, expect everything from grins to belly laughs. And then there's the stand-alone short story, Ants, which offers a different view of where the New Frontiers Series might have gone. One work-in-progress, two more in the pipeline, and a new home page: http//jacklknapp.com/home In other words, I'm nowhere near ready to retire!