A resident of rural Maryland, Stephen England is the author of the bestselling political/spy thriller “Pandora’s Grave.” As a lifelong connoisseur of the written word, the transition from reading into writing was a natural one, and England’s first novel, “Sword of Neamha,” was published in 2009. Set in pre-Roman Britain and told through the eyes of a young Celtic warrior, this coming-of-age adventure enjoyed moderate success and was heralded by reviewers as “epic” and “visceral.”

Released in the summer of 2011, “Pandora’s Grave” represented the culmination of nearly a decade of writing and research into the Middle East, Islam, and covert operations. As the first volume of the Shadow Warriors series, the novel quickly won acclaim from reviewers as “a cross between Clancy and 24.” New York Times bestselling novelist Brad Thor called it “A terrific read from a great new author.” The book was selected by GuysCanRead.com as the winner of their 2011 Independent Novel Contest.

Stephen blogs on current events and takes on the state of the publishing world on his website, www.stephenwrites.com. His story in this anthology, “Nightshade,” forms a prequel to the Shadow Warriors series, and the second book of the series, “Day of Reckoning.” Other political thrillers include “Arkhangel,” “Lodestone,” and “Quicksand.”