-The author, Vic Lindblom, is a former mechanical engineer who worked for big businesses designing vehicles for the construction, military, and commercial markets. He writes with the knowledge that advancement depends on technology, cooperation, and the bo

Vic Lindblom, the author, is a former mechanical engineer who worked for big businesses designing vehicles for use in construction, mining, and military applications. He writes with an awareness of how important relationships between family members and coworkers, technology, and teamwork are to advancement. These unique elements are combined in the "Franchise" series of the "Ridgelands" saga to create an adventure story of developing industry and political intrigue set in an era before electricity.