Eric Birk has been lauded for his ability to intertwine his fictional stories so tightly with historical reality that it is difficult to tell what is real and what is not when reading his writing. He weaves events and technical knowledge from his own life and career with his lifelong love for military history. Birk himself worked on reconnaissance planes while serving for theU.S. Air Force and currently resides in the St. Louis area of Missouri where he still works on computer controlled automated systems.