James Oliver Rigney Jr. (1948 – 2007), better known by his pen name Robert Jordan, was an American author of epic fantasy. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, he served two tours in Vietnam with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. Jordan is best known for the high-fantasy Wheel of Time series, which comprises 14 books and a prequel novel. Rigney also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.