I grew up in a small western Michigan town about a half hour north of Grand Rapids. Just about all there was to do was to play football at the neighbors house, hunt for lost golf balls at the local country club, and watch the zucchini grow.
My brother, who at the time was quite the literary type, spent a lot of time reading. Given he was the only person within an easy walking distance to play with, or build forts with, I spent a lot of time waiting for him to finish reading so we could do something fun. I got bored a lot. Very bored.
One day he suggested that I read as well. As long as I'm waiting... So I did. I picked Ivanhoe, a book my grandmother had given my mother, and somehow I had inherited. My fate was cast after that day. It was the 80s, so it wasn't long until I was reading Peirs Anthony, Michael Moorcock, and Ursula Le Guin. I embraced the passion of my generation and followed Gary Gygax along the path to new realms of wonder.
Then I graduated from Rockford Senior High School and had to grow up. I did what I thought made sense at the time. I joined the Navy. Perhaps that plan wasn't well thought out but I learned a lot. Eventually I ended up living in the Washington DC area. I went to college and got my degree. Then I got a job as a defense contractors. Then I got another degree. Then I got another.
So here I was outside of Washington DC, way to educated for my own good. I gave up watching television over the years. Once I completed my doctorate I needed to fill up my off-time with something productive. I had loved books since that fateful day my brother had pushed them on me. Now I had the time to write. Why wouldn't I?
So here are some tales that come from both my imagination and the imaginations of those who sat with my at the gaming table. I had been running role playing games since the mid-eighties and I've accumulated quite the collection of stories. I had some writing skills as well. I had written for the now-defunct Shadis magazine. I had also written a dissertation. Now I reached back into my collection and found one of my favorite characters.
Originally Miller was just a non-player-character, a minion, a follower that was picked up after a battle. The poor lad had made a bad decision when he joined with a group of necromancers. In the game, as in these books, he sought redemption and release from this fate. Miller's tale isn't just a retelling of a game gone by. Instead, it is a new story just for him. In many ways, it is just for me as well. Miller's tale has allowed me to fulfill one of my life's goals and become an author.
Thank you for reading my tale.
Dr. B
My brother, who at the time was quite the literary type, spent a lot of time reading. Given he was the only person within an easy walking distance to play with, or build forts with, I spent a lot of time waiting for him to finish reading so we could do something fun. I got bored a lot. Very bored.
One day he suggested that I read as well. As long as I'm waiting... So I did. I picked Ivanhoe, a book my grandmother had given my mother, and somehow I had inherited. My fate was cast after that day. It was the 80s, so it wasn't long until I was reading Peirs Anthony, Michael Moorcock, and Ursula Le Guin. I embraced the passion of my generation and followed Gary Gygax along the path to new realms of wonder.
Then I graduated from Rockford Senior High School and had to grow up. I did what I thought made sense at the time. I joined the Navy. Perhaps that plan wasn't well thought out but I learned a lot. Eventually I ended up living in the Washington DC area. I went to college and got my degree. Then I got a job as a defense contractors. Then I got another degree. Then I got another.
So here I was outside of Washington DC, way to educated for my own good. I gave up watching television over the years. Once I completed my doctorate I needed to fill up my off-time with something productive. I had loved books since that fateful day my brother had pushed them on me. Now I had the time to write. Why wouldn't I?
So here are some tales that come from both my imagination and the imaginations of those who sat with my at the gaming table. I had been running role playing games since the mid-eighties and I've accumulated quite the collection of stories. I had some writing skills as well. I had written for the now-defunct Shadis magazine. I had also written a dissertation. Now I reached back into my collection and found one of my favorite characters.
Originally Miller was just a non-player-character, a minion, a follower that was picked up after a battle. The poor lad had made a bad decision when he joined with a group of necromancers. In the game, as in these books, he sought redemption and release from this fate. Miller's tale isn't just a retelling of a game gone by. Instead, it is a new story just for him. In many ways, it is just for me as well. Miller's tale has allowed me to fulfill one of my life's goals and become an author.
Thank you for reading my tale.
Dr. B