Robert Travis

About Me

Proud papa, loving husband of Robin, writer, musician, co-founder of Bluetoque Marketing, Senior Editor of 40Tech.com and (not-so) closet geek.

Like most of the world, I have too much to do and not enough time on my hands -- a good problem to have, I suppose. I spend most of my awake hours (and many where I should be sleeping) writing about games, tech, productivity tools, and business/social media; trying to squeeze in a moment or six to work on some fiction. I like fantasy-fiction, mostly, as I often get more than I want or need of real life. First and foremost, however, and regardless of its position in this mini-bio, I am a father-and-husband. 'Nuff said.

Follow me on Twitter: @chilyn.

Why do you write?

I've wanted to write since I was little and would read every scrap of printed material I could get my hands on. It's not just the potential to create worlds and be a part of a really good story that gets me, though. It's what goes on between the lines, what fuels the story, that truly matters to me. The ability to learn more about people and the "human condition" through an author's perspective, via characters and their interplay, is a fantastic thing! To be able to share my own perspective with others, and in the same way, is beautiful.

Any favorite authors? Books?

Lately I read a lot of fantasy -- or fantasy/science fiction, if you like. I always have, really, and have developed a great deal of love for books by Robert Jordan (and, lately, Brandon Sanderson). I am also a huge fan of all things Piers Anthony, and Terry Brooks, although I think the latter's writing has suffered in favour of speed for the past several years. I have a love/hate relationship with Jim Butcher and his polar opposite Trudi Canavan -- Jim, because he tells a great, action-packed, movie of a story, especially in his Codex Alera series, but is a very sloppy writer; Trudi, because she is an utterly fantastic writer who somehow keeps me engaged while taking -forever- to make anything happen.

There are many others, to be sure, but that's lately.

I think my biggest influences in writing came as a child, while reading the Black Cauldron series by Lloyd Alexander and the Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. And Ursula K. LeGuin -- I can't forget her! The Earthsea series was -- and is -- awesome.