Douglas V. Meed is the author of numerous books, including Bloody Border and The U.S.-Mexican War, 1846-1848.  Soldier of Fortune joins his books that explore the flamboyant times along the Texas-Mexico border during the Mexican Revolution.

The son of an army officer stationed along the border, Meed grew up listening to tales of the revolution and events along the "bloody border."  At age seventeen, he volunteered for the U.S. Army, serving in the infantry and in an intelligence unit in Europe during World War II.

After the war, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism, and later earned a master's degree in history from the University of Texas at El Paso.

While a reporter for the San Antonio Light, Meed won a Hearst writing award, and has served as a reporter and editor for numerous newspapers.  He served as a foreign service office with the U.S. Information Agency during the Cold War.

Douglas V. Meed lived in El Paso, Texas for many years.  He traveled extensively in Mexico and the southwestern United States, researching border history.  He and his wife, Jeannine, live in Round Rock, Texas, where he continues his research in southwestern history.