John David Wolverton (May 28, 1957 – January 14, 2022), better known by his pen names Dave Wolverton and David Farland, was an American author, editor, and instructor of online writing workshops and groups. He wrote in several genres but was known best for his science fiction and fantasy works. Books in his Runelords series hit the New York Times bestsellers list. In 1987, he won the Writers of the Future contest. He has been nominated for a Nebula Award and a Hugo Award. He died in the early morning hours of January 14, 2022. He lived in St. George, Utah, with his wife at the time of his death. Life and career Wolverton was born May 28, 1957, in Springfield, Oregon to Jack and Lola Jean Wolverton. His family moved to a farm in Monroe when he was six years old, where he grew up and graduated from Monroe High School. Following graduation, he served a volunteer mission in Illinois for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Afterward, he attended Ricks College before transferring to Brigham Young University. He met his wife, Mary, there, and they married in the Provo Utah Temple on June 22, 1985. He and his wife had two daughters and three sons. He began writing in 1985 during college, publishing the short story "The Sky Is an Open Highway" in the fall 1985 issue of The Leading Edge. Following that, he entered short stories into various contests, eventually winning first place in the 1987 Writers of the Future contest with the novella "On My Way to Paradise". The story was expanded into the novel of the same name, published in 1989 through Bantam Spectra. The novel was nominated for multiple awards, including the Philip K. Dick Award for "Best Novel in the English Language". He became a judge for the Writers of the Future contest in 1991 and was the Coordinating Judge and Editor at the time of his death. After co-editing volume 8 with Algis Budrys in 1992, he took over editing of the annual anthology from volume 9 until volume 14 before passing the role back to Algis Budrys. Wolverton again took over editing the anthology from K. D. Wentworth, beginning with volume 29 and continuing through volume 37. His historical novel, In the Company of Angels, won the 2009 Whitney Award for best novel of the year, and was a