About The Author, Wim Baren Wim Baren is my pen name. I love history and the many things in it that are so incredible they couldn't have been made up. I went to a small eastern college, then served in the Marines for three years, part of which was in Viet Nam, a very green place. At that time, it had a high metallic density to the air. Grass grew six feet in a week. Dried mud turned to cement if you didn't wipe it off first. A sunny day in the six-month monsoon season was when it was raining only lightly. Upon leaving the Corps, I found out my technology education at college was obsolete. So, I went to a small business school where I learned all about strategy and business and finance, and entered the financial services industry. I labored diligently until I realized people didn't want advice so much as they wanted help on actually getting things done. So I went into consulting in project management. I became an independent consultant, developed professional education courses in projects and risk and leadership, even a software learning application with games (gasp!). I generally made as if this were my final career choice. But it wasn’t. I've written one really large story - The Crimson Emperor - and a more recent shorter fantasy - Ptaath's Hammer. I have a third novel underway - maybe it'll be out in early 2017 or so. Also wrote a couple of short stories - The Muse, The Canary in the Mine - which you might get some enjoyment from reading. I've also published notes-like blurbs about getting inspiration to write creatively - Mozart's Brain, and Mozart's Brain, Too - in a series of really short broadsheets with writing ideas that I've had since beginning this path. I thought it would be a nice thing to share them with anyone interested. Feedback is always welcome (What you really think, but please keep it polite, respectful, as others would do for you); wbwemple@aol.com Williamsburg, Virginia
