Born in Long Island, New York, Rand grew up in Maryland and still lives there with his son and daughter. He has eight metal plates in his head, builds his own electric guitars, and spends his free time writing, making music, golfing, or swimming.
A professional software architect, he has worked for NASA, the State Department, and White House (among others), and ran a successful consulting firm in the Washington D.C. area for ten years.
As an Author/Publisher
As an author and world building strategist, Rand has written fantasy fiction and created fictional worlds since the 1980s. In addition to authoring/publishing the most detailed world building books available, he’s the founder and lead instructor at World Building University, blogs regularly on the subject, and hosts a popular podcast. The Writer’s of the Future contest has recognized his writing three times. His fantasy stories are either literary or adventure yarns, but he’s also published three novels in another genre under a pseudonym. He runs Evermore Press and began publishing in 2016.
As a Musician
As a composer and guitarist, he minored in piano and has a Bachelor’s of Music in classical guitar (Magna Cum Laude, from Catholic University in D.C.). After college, he developed severe tendonitis in both arms; it temporarily crippled him and changed the course of his life.
Always more of a rocker, he recovered and wrote, performed, engineered, and released several albums (rock, acoustic guitar, or classical guitar) from 2004-2014 via his own record label, earning endorsements from music companies. He also plays bass, drums, and percussion.