Jeffrey J. Mariotte is the award-winning author of dozens of books, including the Major Crimes Squad: Phoenix procedural thriller series, historical Western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), the Cody Cavanaugh Western series, Tarzan and the Forest of Stone, and many more in various genres. He's also known for his comics and graphic novel work, especially long-running Weird Western series Desperadoes. He lives in the desert with his wife Marsheila Rockwell and their family.