Paulsen, Rand: - Rand Paulsen hails from the American Southwest, having lived mostly in Nevada. Rand's early years consisted of on-again, off-again construction work and a variety of temp jobs while attending college. He was rewarded with wide-ranging exposures and some amazing experiences. During his backpacking period, Rand "bagged some peaks" and traveled as far as Guam. With interests ranging from history to space travel, and drawing on his adventurous background, Rand humorously shares the individual life stories of four very different, intelligent species in the fast-paced journey of the "Ascending Species" series. In Rand's distinctive and fun way, he hopes to encourage consideration of time, perspective, and Species.