About the Author
As a child I was fascinated by fairy tales and myths and ancient history, the older the better. My first book that wasn’t a Little Golden Book I still have, a gift from my brothers; “Myths and Enchantment Tales”. It is a child’s version of Greek myths, tenderly told and beautifully illustrated, of gods, goddesses, chimaeras, flying horses and girls who turned to gold with a touch. The European fairy tales were often much darker than the sun-drenched Greek world and thrillingly hinted at horrors just beyond the sugarcoated wall of gingerbread. My other obsession was the Ice Age. I pored over books about cave men and Neanderthals, marveled at saber-toothed cats, mastodons, and wooly rhinos that had walked the earth and wondered at the art left behind in the deep caves. Stories of time travel delighted me. The fascination for the intrigues of antiquity has never left me; to uncover the secrets and discover how they color the cumulative portrait that is humanity. Archaeology was a natural fit, as was Anthropology. In college I pursued both out of love, and not with any real practical plan for the future. My father’s blindness led me to appreciate the great service provided him by audio books and I pursued that as a career, keeping ancient history always close to my heart. Marriage to another anthropology major, and two children later, my career in audio books has morphed into voiceover work. I can be heard coast-to-coast selling Buicks, mattresses, restaurants and rest homes through the wonders of digital technology. In my hometown of Portland, Oregon my voice will greet you on the light rail train. It is a blessing that I get to work from home, never have to wear painful clothing or commute through hideous traffic. And, I can devote available time to my first and best love, studying and writing about the wonders and fallacies of humankind that has led us to where we find ourselves today. “Dancing at the Edge of Death” has been a labor of love that unites my life long love of myth and the deep caves of Europe, as seen through the brilliant lens of the earliest modern humans. |