Much to my amazement, I make a living as a freelance writer, and most of my work has been on Star Wars books. This was never part of any career plan, but I'm delighted it happened, because (a) I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, (b) my accountant confirms that some Star Wars games and toys are indeed "reference materials," (c) my job does not require that I wear shoes. How did this happen? Lucky circumstances and pure nepotism. What, you want details? Okay.

Several years ago, in a state far, far away, I edited Star Wars comics for Dark Horse. Around 1993, I was asked to develop story concepts for Droids and wound up writing five issues of that series as well as some promotional mini-comics. Did I have any writing experience before that? No, but I'd read some truly excellent scripts by John Arcudi, Henry Gilroy, John Wagner, and Jim Woodring, and figured I might be able to steal their techniques. I also found inspiration in the words of Ben Kenobi: "The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded."

In 1995, I left Dark Horse and moved back to the east coast, thinking that my literary "swan song" was a single-page Droids strip, illustrated by Bill Hughes, that appeared on a box of Kellogg's Apple Jacks. Call me vainglorious, but I cannot express the excitement I felt when I saw my work in a supermarket. That strip may have had a subliminal effect on my cereal-eating former colleagues, as they started offering moreStar Wars assignments, including the opportunity to collaborate with Anthony Daniels on the script for The Protocol Offensive. At about the same time, the kind folks at Lucasfilm began recommending me to their other publishing licensees. I've been busy ever since, and the work has led to, well, more work, including an interactive CD-ROM Superman adventure for DC, and animation scripts for DIC and Walt Disney. Considering I barely graduated from kindergarten, no one could be more surprised by my résumé than I.

I'd just finished writing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan: Last Stand on Ord Mantell and was still in the mood for lightsabers when Dark Horse editor Dave Land hired me on for Jedi Quest, a four-issue series featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. The story tells how Anakin earns the very lightsaber you'll see him swing in Episode II, and introduces a major new villain to the saga. Illustrated by Pop Mahn of Spy Boy fame, the comic ties in with a new novel by Jude Watson, author of the wildly entertaining Jedi Apprentice series (Scholastic). So go buy the comic already! And thanks for reading.

-- Ryder Windham