BRIAN RATHBONE was born in the garden part of The Garden State, far from the New Jersey seen in the Sopranos. Farm life shaded his perceptions and old-world knowledge seemed to separate him from his peers—or perhaps it was the ever-present smell of horse manure. Though he obtained a certain level of skill working with horses, he somehow knew his life would take a different path.

Corporate America called to him. He imagined it would be better to work in an air-conditioned office than in the fields or on the racetrack. He started in the mailroom and worked every day to learn new skills and advance his position. He got lucky, and some wonderful people gave him the chance to prove his worth, but as
Brian climbed higher and higher on the corporate ladder, he came to see that the machine was broken.

He started working from home and finally found the time to write down the story that had been growing in his mind for over a decade. At times, Brian felt like a juggler in motley while he balanced the writing of code and the writing of fiction, but it’s all been worthwhile.