Barry Benning lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city is fortressed by towering mountains of majestic beauty to the east and a line of ancient, extinct volcanoes to the west. The life-giving water of the Rio Grande flows through the heart of this high-desert community creating a nestled, scenic valley. Mr. Benning came to Albquerque in 1979 in his first assignment as an officer in the United States Air Force.

Mr. Benning was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1956. He was raised in the Protestant faith of the Christian Church. His mother was Baptist and his father Methodist. The distinction meant little to him until emphasis brought to bear by older relatives when he was in his teens. After graduating from college, Mr. Benning developed strong interest in the origins of Christianity, Judaism and the written sources of the New Testament. His studies included the beginnings of the different sects of Christianity, including Roman Catholic Tradition and its history. Of particular interest was the succession of perceived authority in interpreting and disseminating supernatural truth, and how it was handed down from the time of Jesus Christ. The Unspoken Power of Rome is a culmination of these studies and Barry Benning's first novel. Mr. Benning graduated from Columbia University in New York City with a Master of Science and from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science.