Edward John Schneider

Born in 1941 in Wheatland, Wyoming, Edward J. Schneider describes himself as the middle of six children. On his author site, he says his father worked in the coal mines, and that the family later moved to Torrington, where he grew up and graduated from high school.

He spent about fifteen years in the Los Angeles area before returning to Wyoming, then later lived and worked in Idaho and Utah. In biographical notes attached to his books and author pages, he says he worked as a programmer analyst and eventually returned to writing after retirement.

Schneider is best known for his Parallel Past series, including The Plunge, a time-travel adventure that sends its heroine into a parallel-universe version of the 1850 American West. His fiction blends futuristic ideas with wagon-trail history, romance, and survival, reflecting both his interest in science fiction and his affection for Western settings.