About the Author

Robert is a man of many interests; foremost among them is his love of history. He is fascinated by the historical tapestry of Western civilization, woven from the short gray threads provided by historians and the long colorful threads that spring from the imagination of fiction writers such as Mary Renault and Colleen McCullough.

From tales of the Trojan War to the conflicts of his father’s generation, Robert avidly consumes books, articles, and documentaries to try to understand how individuals of the past—humans just like us—have loved their children, braved adversity, and grieved their losses. He travels widely, seeking to make these remote lives more tangible. He has marveled at the neolithic megaliths at Göbekli Tepe, the desert caves in Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were preserved for almost two thousand years, and the great Belvoir fortress where Crusaders managed to resist Saladin for over a year.

It is a sad fact that ancient chronicles are few and are largely peopled by individuals known only by name and nothing more, like stick figures, and that between the chronicles are lengthy periods where history is silent. However, this allows Robert to do what he loves: write short stories and novels that restore life to forgotten individuals who, if they never existed, should have. These were the people—not the Alexander the Greats or the Julius Caesars—who powered the course of history. These people—warriors standing watch across a cold and bleak frontier, slaves struggling to survive, knowing their life is worth less than their master’s hound, and merchants traveling across a forested landscape where the road’s next bend might reveal a robber or a wolf—these are the people Robert enjoys bringing to life.

Writing didn’t become a priority for Robert until recently. In 2023, he published his first novel, “Elodia’s Knife,” a historical epic set in the late 4th century CE, when the Western Roman Empire was on the brink of collapse. The book tells the story of a young Gothic girl who flees her abusive husband and finds refuge in Roman territory. She uses her wits and strength to survive and rise to power in a world that seeks to crush her.

The novel’s ordinary characters are made extraordinary by the world-shaking events of their time. Its unconventional story is bursting with confusion and danger, all precisely framed by the known historical record. “Elodia’s Knife” is a testament to Robert’s love of history, adventure, and suspense.

Robert has populated “Elodia’s Knife” with raw, sometimes shocking, characters that are true to their time and authentic to real life. The warriors are not invincible; the women are not of unsurpassed beauty. There is intense violence as befits life in a brutal time of barbarians and legionaries when mercy was in short supply. Yet there is romance and passion, though nothing that would surprise a young adult or shock their parents.

Born in Vancouver, BC., Robert has lived in many places in Canada and the U.S. in vain pursuit of a successful high-tech startup that would allow him to pursue writing full-time. Now that his three children are grown and have successful careers of their own, he is free to sit at his kitchen table in Bellingham, WA., writing, reading, or researching for several hours each day.

With “Elodia’s Knife” under his belt and a sequel in the works, Robert is more committed than ever to his writing. He sees it as a way to not only entertain and educate readers but also to connect with others who share his love of history and storytelling.