Man, where to start...Whelp, I guess I'll start from the very beginning: the tender age of five.

My earliest memories are from when I was five years old, so I'm pretty sure September 10, 1992 is when my life started. I remember walking to the library in my tiny hometown and toddling straight towards the stacks that held all the books about dinosaurs. Much to my annoyance, and eventual benefit, my mother required me to pick out one "easy reader" book as well as well as a picture book full of prehistoric monsters. Then, get this, I had to read it before I could look at my dinosaur book. The audacity. This recurring event is probably the biggest reason I am here today, writing this. At the age of five, my mother fostered a love of reading in her son, and indulged his fascination with the prehistoric world.

Thanks, Ma.

When I went to college, I had fully prepared myself to go into Law Enforcement. Unfortunately for me, I failed Criminal Justice 101 (long story), and I had to pick a different major. To make it easier on myself, I chose my next most interesting class to pursue for my undergrad degree. That class was Anthropology 101.

I. Loved. It.

All of a sudden, my lifelong interest in the ancient and primeval had discovered another trail to follow. I had never before considered how the mysteries of ancient man tied into all the things I had passion for. Naturally, I dove headfirst into studying the evolution of humanity, prehistoric cultures and lost cities. This all led me to my career as a Professional CRM Archeologist, and eventually my current career as a Middle School History Teacher.

So now you probably understand a bit about why I write what I write, but there is one more piece of the puzzle. At the age of twenty, I followed my parents out to Arizona after I had a rough break up with my first real girlfriend in college. At the time, my favorite author was H. P. Lovecraft and I was looking to branch out to other Pulp writers. That's when I picked up the Del Rey edition of "The Conquering Sword of Conan", a collection of original Conan the Cimmerian stories by Robert E. Howard. I was swept away by the exotic locations, the blood-soaked swordplay and the unrivaled sense of adventure in those fiery words. There is no tangible way for me to describe how those words on those pages made me feel. It all resonated with me on a spiritual level. All of a sudden, I could see myself as a ancient warrior, rushing to battle against the terrible unknown. I instantly knew that I needed to write that.

You see, I wear my Pulp influences on my sleeve. From Conan, to Cthulhu, from Doc Savage to the Sackett Brothers, I adore the old Pulps. It is rare that a modern author can capture the spirit of this forgotten and often derided medium. I have found some of my cravings satiated by the likes of James Rollins and Douglas Preston, but I still find myself drawn to classics like Karl Edward Wagner, Manly Wade Wellman, and Michael Moorcock. I have found that the 500+ page novel doesn't always lend itself to the feeling that I shoot for. The Pulps were often plot-centric affairs, and that is why I was drawn to them. Not that characters and all that aren't important, just not what typically draws me into a good book.

Anyway, enough about me. I sincerely thank you for your interest in the world of adventure that I write in. I hope that you enjoy, and just maybe you'll head out on your own.

-L. D. Whitney

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