
Terry Brooks was born on January 8, 1944 in the town of Sterling, Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature. It was during college when he was given a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” that he decided to write fantasy fiction. It took him seven years to finish “The Sword of Shannara” which went on to become the first work of fiction to appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list. Brooks has a law degree from Washington and Lee University and was a practicing attorney for many years. It wasn’t until the next two books in the Shannara series were published that he quit his law practice to become a full-time author. He has written over 30 books to date.
He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Judine.