About

I was born on the Fleet of Worlds, I was raised in the jungles of Ylesia, and I came of age on the streets of Camorr. I received my education at Hawkins, St. Jude’s, and Mahoutokoro.

 

I have watched in wonder as dawn’s first light kissed the walls of the Hornburg, lending hope to the weary men inside.

 

I have crossed the Nentir Vale in search of a few shiny coins, only to find myself.

 

I have learned that the first rule of flying is love. I have learned that love alone can keep a boat in the air when its only business is falling out of the sky.

 

I have stridden with confidence into the jaws of Oblivion, I have shed bitter tears on the sandy beaches of Virmire, and I have ridden the warship Rocinante across the Belt.

 

And at the end of each day, I have stumbled on home to my cats, lying curled in the lap of my fellow adventurer, within our desert bastion.

 

͠

 

Stories give us the experience of a hundred lifetimes. Stories introduce us to a thousand new characters. Stories touch our minds, stir our hearts, and search our souls. Stories are strange, terrible, wonderful.

 

That is why I’m here. To tell stories. To take you on adventures. To show you the things I hold within my heart and to paint before you the layers of my mind. And if I can instill in you even a fraction of the sense of awe, inspiration, and joy that so many others have given me through their stories, I will consider this website’s purpose fulfilled, and one of my great dreams realized.

 

Thank you for reading, and enjoy.

-Robert Birkhofer

62 thoughts on “About”

    • Thank you for stopping by, Frank! I wholeheartedly agree with you about “writing that comes from the heart, with deep emotional overtones and well-developed characters” being captivating. That type of writing is what inspires and stays with me, and that is what I strive for in my own writing.

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  12. Dude! You have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve seen a reference to the Fleet of Worlds?

    (I will surpress my urge to play, ‘Yeah but do you remember…?**)

    ‘cellent wordage.

    Hey be sure to vote over at ‘the Writers Club’… I need* to get some opinions of others on the best path to take with my untitled SOC/Flash Fiction… which, fortunately I’ve come up with a name for the woman in the kitchen/new world.

    *yeah, still fighting that drive for external validation, but it’s way better than it used to be
    ** ok, but just one…. you remember Jherek Carnelian ?***
    *** lol I don’t doubt for a second that you do.

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    • Thanks for stopping by! Larry Niven’s books are a great inspiration to me. You know, I actually have not yet read The Dancers at the End of Time, but it is a series that is on my to-read list.
      I’ve cast my vote over at The Writers Club- I’m looking forward to seeing where your story goes next!

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      • Probably read everything by Niven (at least until that weird-ass tree planet story). Heinlein notwithstanding, the Known Space series still stands as one of the most coherent future histories.

        Despite being a ‘nuts and bolts’ fan in the day, The Dancers at the End of Time was not-put-downable* fantasy.

        Thanks for the read. The story showing (at the Writers Club) is as much trying to come up with activities for the other members to get involved in…no one yet taking me up on my suggestion that they participate in writing it.

        Loves me some time/space shifting stories.

        * technical writing term

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      • I agree, Known Space is very coherent and well-researched, at least the parts of it that I have read.
        Also, I’ll definitely bump The Dancers at the End of Time to the top of my reading list with your recommendation!

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  13. hey, a follow up on my comment on the ‘Spinner of Dreams’.

    New to your blog but I enjoy commenting about ‘the craft’ as much as the story. Wasn’t certain that the a story that a whole bunch o readers enjoyed (blogger envy here, for sure…lol) was the place to say,

    “Dude! was that 2nd Person present tense?!”

    lol Just beginning to touch on some of the technical side of this writing thing, but 2nd person is, like, the total ‘don’t try this at home!’ POV.

    nice work.

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    • Haha yeah… I decided to try that POV after reading an N. K. Jemisin book that incorporated it. I was also trying to make the reader feel the story as much as possible. It was a nice challenge for me! And I’ll always take feedback about the story as well as the craft, so thank you again.

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  23. Hi, what a great intro! Thanks for liking my post – as a new blogger starting out, I’m very encouraged that you took the time to read it. I just wanted to drop by with a quick ‘hi’ before delving into your stories 🙂 Cheers!

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