Alan Dean Foster — American Author born on November 18, 1946,

Alan Dean Foster is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, a prolific creator of and contributor to book series as well as the author of more than 20 standalone novels. He is especially prolific in his novelizations of film scripts... (wikipedia)

Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting.
The overwhelming triumph of the international multimedia conglomerate has resulted in less diversity within the field and has made it much harder for newer writers not only to break in, but to make any kind of a living while doing so.
Growing up, I never gave a thought to being a writer. All I ever wanted to be was a traveler and explorer. Science-fiction allowed me to go places that were otherwise inaccessible, which is why I started reading it. I was going to be a lawyer, but I got saved.
I see the Jedi mission as giving up a normal life in exchange for protecting the innocent. It's a life of sacrifice. There are rewards, but also a certain degree of sterility.
Getting inside the mind of a terrorist wasn't difficult at all. Even as children, human beings fabricate elaborate revenge fantasies. We're not a particular species. Check out popular video games.