Fred Dickey lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea in San Diego County, California, and until recently was a special columnist and in-depth contributing writer for the Union-Tribune newspaper in San Diego. He has served as Sunday Editor, the San Jose Mercury News; Executive Editor, The Anchorage Times; Editor, the Oakland Tribune; and as an editorial manager of the San Diego Union. Among many other awards, Fred was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He has been a published novelist, and a prolific magazine writer. One of his earlier books was printed in 6 languages. Fred is the founder and president of Public-Interest Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating educational video programs for at-risk youth. Fred travels the world, and is a ceaseless California explorer. He is interested in history, especially the Civil War era, California history, and the Oregon Trail era.