ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rick Barba, a graduate of the University of Iowa Writers Workshop, is the author of numerous books for younger audiences, including the popular Spy Gear Adventures, a six-book series of novels for Aladdin Paperbacks (Simon & Schuster). With more than 225,000 copies in print, the middle reader series has garnered excellent reviews and focused valuable attention on the Spy Gear brand. He’s also written the last two volumes of the Tom Swift, Young Inventor series for Aladdin.

Rick recently completed his second Star Trek-based novel in the new Starfleet Academy series for young adult readers. Published by Simon Spotlight (Simon & Schuster), The Gemini Agent follows up on his previous novel, The Delta Anomaly, which kicked off the series with good sales/reviews in the notoriously tough Star Trek community. His other books for Simon Spotlight based on popular licenses include G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra (The Movie Storybook) and The Tasty Tale of Chewandswallow, a young children’s book based on the movie “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”

In another capacity, Mr. Barba has had a finger on the pulse of popular entertainment for many years. As the best-selling author of strategy guides for videogames (more than 110 titles with a combined 9 million copies in print), Rick has a rare insider’s view of the hottest entertainment market for young people. He has authored or co-authored full-length companion books for some of the industry’s biggest hits including Diablo III, Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto IV (2008 Game of the Year), Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, Final Fantasy XII, Red Dead Redemption (2010 Game of the Year), The Sims, Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Jedi Knight, and Star Wars: Force Commander. And his books for the classic computer experiences Myst and Riven are still two of the best-selling guides of all time, with more than 2.5 million copies in print.

Last but not least, Mr. Barba is also the author of numerous literary short stories published in venerable journals such as The Quarterly, Chicago Review, Black Warrior Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Quarry West, Kansas Quarterly, and Other Voices. Mr. Barba has taught Creative Writing courses as a faculty member at both Santa Clara University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has also worked in Hollywood as a contract screenwriter and is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.

Rick lives just outside of Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Suzanne, and three children, Alexandra, Jake, and Luke.