Biography
There are many ways in which one could start a biography but there are so many threads I do not know which one to tug at that will unravel a tale worth listening to. Perhaps the best way to is the answer the question of why.
Why do I write?
The answer is a simple one. I write to tell a story, many stories in fact.
From my earliest childhood I have been fascinated by the written word and the ability of a story to take you far away from the realities of daily life. Born in Melbourne Australia on April 4, 1974 my brother and I were raised by my mother as my parents divorced at an early age. Perhaps due to their divorce I later found solace and refuge in the fantasy writings of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Weiss & Hickman and anything that else I could devour that let me quench my thirst for magical worlds unlike our own.
Over time, like everyone does, I grew older and attended Catholic school where I was first introduced to the world of Dungeons & Dragons. I immediately gravitated to the fantasy realm, and found it an incredible creative outlet that filled me with a desire to write. In later years I would look back and realize that people like Gary Gygax, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, would have an unexpected influence on my outlook for life. In particular, an article published by Inc. Magazine covering Gary’s death included a statement that I now see as pivotal to how I approach my love of writing and the need to tell my story. The quote reads:
Vividly imaginative people experience life as a contest between mundane reality and extraordinary dreams, with mundane reality usually the victor.
I refuse to let the mundane triumph.
After graduating high school and completing a few dead end jobs including retail, insurance and a day delivering pizzas, I found my niche in computers designing websites. As time continued, I designed more and more sophisticated systems for companies all around the world including Australia, Malaysia, USA and Europe. Eventually I relocated to St. Augustine, Florida in 1996 where I met the love of my life and got married in December 2000. During this time I wrote very little unless it had lines of code and could be compiled and executed on a micro processor. Technology was, and still is, a passion for me and has been something I thoroughly enjoy for a career. With my personal life blossoming and a healthy career I was very happy but, it seemed the mundane reality of corporate America was winning.
In 2002, after returning to Australia my wife, Stephanie, and I were blessed with our daughter Josephine and, the first spark of suppressed creativity began to blossom again. We eventually moved back to the United States settling in Boston to pursue further education. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Organizational Leadership and a Gradaute Diploma in Information Technology I spent the next few years working for high tech companies building internet solutions working diligently on my corporate career with solid success.
It was around this time that a few disparate events occurred that ignited my passion to write again. Firstly I read Eragon by Christopher Paolini and re-read The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I had read Jordan when I was 17 or 18 but, upon reading them again I was swept away by the beauty and grandeur of his epic tales. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to begin writing and then when I read about Paolini’s story and realized he had taken action to allow his extraordinary dreams become his reality I knew my time had come. I had a burning desire I could no longer ignore.
The final impetus was my daughter’s magical thinking.
I can say for a fact that children of three or four exist within a fantastic world of magical creatures, incredible vistas and ethereal beings with little concern that other people do not see or share in their wonder. Without a doubt, mundane reality does not even rate a mention in a four year olds mind. Josephine allowed me to once again glimpse this world and I knew what I wanted to do.
At this time we had relocated to Pebble Beach California where I was surrounded by a landscape so abundant with variety and natural beauty I could not help but be inspired. Early morning as the fog still hung heavily in the air I would run along the cliffs watching the seals frolic in the roiling surf before turning inland where deer grazed on the pristine emerald green fairways of the many local golf courses. I was living in an incredible locale that I could not ignore. With my daughter’s inspiration we began crafting a story about a magical place called Devon Grove where children ate from an enormous tree and received wondrous gifts or talents. A year later my first novel, The Seed of Hope was signed and I started working hard on revisions with a targetted publication date in early 2009. Currently I am busily finishing final edits and am working on the remaining books in the Talent Tree series titled Of Worldly Deeds and Into the Nexus.
My journey is just beginning as I write as fast I can, capturing the torrent of ideas and riding the ocean of imagination I have unleashed that lay dormant for so long. The day is still far off when I can truly say that my extraordinary dreams have become my reality but with every stroke of the key, each chapter completed and another story told I am doing what I was born to do – to tell many, many stories.
Happy Reading.
Quinton Wall
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