I have been in love with storytelling since I was a child, listening to Grandpa tell fantastic, true-life yarns of his boyhood in Germany, and his life as an immigrant to the United States. His tales were filled with steam-locomotive mishaps and biplane crashes, cowboys and outlaws, and always lots of wonder and gratitude. It didn't hurt that my Irish mother was also a theatrical storyteller and writer. Mom and Grandpa had a strong influence on my life, and gave me an appreciation for the spoken and written word.

This was all well and good, but could only go so far in a kid who wanted very little to do with the three R's (Reading, writing and 'rithmatic). Not if they interfered with playing soldier or football. Sure, there were times I enjoyed a good read (despite slight dyslexia) or, at the encouragement of Mom, wrote a short story, but I wanted to be in motion. Heck, I wanted to strap a rocket to my back and go into space, not write about it! The only time I wanted to tell a story was when my scientist father caught me doing something "unauthorized." And so, storytelling laid dormant for many years; just bubbling beneath the surface - peaking out for the occasional English assignment or bout of Fantasy RPGs.

My feelings about storytelling changed significantly in the summer I turned 14. I remember, because I hadn't learned to drive yet and had wrecked my cousin's truck driving around the family ranch the previous summer. As they tell it, (I) "was doing fine comin' up from the highway to the house, when suddenly the lights were up in the trees!"

At any rate, that summer I got a hold of my sister's copy of the Hobbit. Without warning, that, which had been denied the light of day, erupted from its prison and began to harass me. For a long time, I kept it at bay by feeding it fantasy and science fiction novels and RPGs, which cost me a high grade in college more than once.

Then it happened. I wrote a stage play. And it got produced. And it was well received. That, and a nudge from one of my professors, was enough for me to pack up my Firebird, skip my graduation ceremony and head out to California to attend UCLA.

Despite my best intentions, as it often does, life happened. I landed a very interesting robotics job, while waiting to get my CA residency. (I couldn't afford to attend UCLA on out-of-state tuition.) One thing lead to another, and before I knew it, years had passed. I had a wife, kids, mortgage payment, special effects career in Hollywood (IMDB), and I had never been to the UCLA enrollment office. However, that did not mean that I didn't write. I wrote stage plays, screenplays, short stories, all in the evenings and on weekends and eventually finished a book: With a Jester of Kindness. Perhaps you've read it.

So now I write fantasy and sci-fi and love every minute of it. I hope you will give my stories a try. If you'd like to know more about me and my work, check out my website: www.TheOtherWorlds.net or click on one of the buttons above.

Best wishes and better adventures,
KC Herbel

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