Eric Williams for The Gates of Tagmeth by P.C. Hodgell (Baen)
“Born in Belleville, Illinois in 1968, I attended Pocahontas Elementary School and Greenville High School. From a blue collar family, I was told from day one “Art is a nice hobby but it won’t pay the bills.” From that day forward I was out to prove those people wrong. As long as I could remember I’ve doodled and dreamed. That was evident in school where I’d daydream about monsters and space men on Mars (which, by the way, got me in a lot of trouble). My art teacher, on the other hand, did not scold me but encouraged me to put my talents to better use. So I began entering my artwork in local contests. 95% of the time I won blue ribbons or awards, and eventually I won a scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. This was my ticket out of small-town life. My experiences have provided me with a large working perspective, including computer art, sculpture, oil, acrylic, and 3-D. I still daydream and doodle but now it’s all in a day’s work.”