Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston. He was a graduate of the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics, and served two tours in Vietnam. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool and pipe collecting. He died in September 2007.
Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife, Emily, and their children.