The Author - R.A. Salvatore
I first met Salvatore around 2001 or 2002 at a panel at San Diego Comic Con, he was the first and only author I ever went out of my way to meet. You see before Drizzt, I was purley a comic book reader, Batman to be specific. When I got out the military and started working at the VA, I was given the Dark Elf Trilogy to read. I was hesitant, I always had bad luck with books, I could never get through any of them, they bored me.I tried reading The Lord of the Rings, I still have all the books, but I could not get passed all the singing. How ironic since they are the very books that influenced Salvatore to write.
When I got started on the Dark Elf Trilogy, I could not stop, in fact I read it three times. I wore my friends book out so badly I had to buy him another. I ended up buying Icewind Dale soon after. I took those books to Comic Con just to have them signed. I still remember the expression on Salvatore's face when he looked at the book with all the creases and folded worn edges.
"You really enjoyed my book" He smiled.
He had no idea.
Since then I have read every single Drizzt book there is, and he inspired me to create my own world and begin writing my own trilogy of books in the process. Salvatore had really impressed me that day, he was so down to earth, and very patient as a few of us geeks followed him from the upstairs panel to the convention floor to Del Ray's booth, asking him question after geeky question. And he smiled and answered every one of them.
Now about the author, he was born Robert Arthur Salvatore on January 20, 1959 in Leominster, Massachusetts.
The youngest of a family of seven. A graduate of Leominster High School, Salvatore has credited his high school English teacher with being instrumental in his development as a writer. During his time at Fitchburg State College, he became interested in fantasy after reading J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, given to him as a Christmas gift. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications and later a Bachelor of Arts in English. Before taking up writing full time he worked as a bouncer.
In 1982 he started writing more seriously, developing a manuscript he titled Echoes of the Fourth Magic. In an interview with comic book website Project Fanboy, Salvatore spoke of how he landed the deal for his first book when after finishing the script for Echoes of the Fourth Magic in early 1987, he sent the work to several publishers, one of which being TSR. TSR was looking for an author to write the second book in the The Forgotten Realms line and asked Salvatore to audition. In July 1987, Salvatore won the spot to write the sequel. He went on to publish several series of books in the Forgotten Realms campaign world, while lately his popularity surged due to his Demon Wars sagas and his two Star Wars books.
One of his most popular characters is Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow, or dark elf, portrayed against the stereotypes of his race, who defied a nation of evil enemies with his swordsmanship and courage. He abandoned the Underdark, a merciless and barren land of unmarked and limitless tunnels where deadly creatures continually lurk. His journey for freedom leads him to the surface where he faces discrimination at every turn because of his dark heritage. Drizzt stumbles along in a harsh world until he finally comes upon friends who understand the kindness of his heart. Together, they fight for justice against sinister enemies who dare to disrupt the peace of Drizzt's newfound homeland.
In addition to his novels, Salvatore wrote the story for the PS2, Xbox and PC video game Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (2004), working with the design team at Stormfront Studios. The game was published by Atari and was nominated for awards by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and BAFTA. CDS books commissioned him to edit a four book series based on the interactive online Everquest game. He also wrote the bot chat lines for the Quake III bots. Currently, R.A. Salvatore is busy at work as Creative Director for 38 Studios, formerly named Green Monster Games, along with pitcher Curt Schilling and Spawn comic creator Todd McFarlane.
February 2008, Devil's Due Publishing published Spooks, a comic book about a U.S. government anti-paranormal investigator/task force created by Larry Hama and Salvatore. Hama created the military characters and plots, and Salvatore covered the monster characters.
He is noted for his intense and descriptive battle scenes which have been attributed to his history in boxing and his work as a bouncer.
In 2000, Salvatore's collected papers, including correspondence and unpublished works, were donated to his alma mater Fitchburg State College to create the 'R.A. Salvatore Collection.'
He and his wife Diane have three children: Bryan, Geno, and Caitlin. They also have three Japanese Chins named Oliver, Artemis, and Ivan as well as four cats, one being named Guenhwyvar.