Charles Portis lives in Arkansas, where he was born and educated. He served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, was the London bureau chief of the "New York Herald-Tribune", and was a writer for "The New Yorker."
Jay Jennings is a freelance writer whose journalism, book reviews and humor have appeared in many national magazines and newspapers, including the "New York Times, "the" Wall Street Journal, "the" Los Angeles Times, "the "Oxford American, "and "Travel & Leisure. "He is a regular contributor to the "New York Times Book Review "and the" San Francisco Chronicle".