About

I’m Radu, a Romanian who grew up in China and somehow ended up finding home in the Netherlands. My career path took me through finance and auditing, but while my work is grounded in numbers and risks, I've always had a passion for sci-fi, fantasy and video games. Books and games taught me the power of a sprawling world and a well-earned adventure. Now, I write to give readers what I once found: worlds to step into and stories to get lost in.

When I’m not hunched over my laptop like a mad scientist, I’m probably gaming. I love a great video game, but nothing beats gathering around a table for a board game with friends. To balance out the desk time, I try to stay moving, whether that’s hitting the gym, bouldering or running. Otherwise, I am a serious coffee enthusiast and will absolutely stop to pet any dog in sight.

I first found inspiration in the strangest of places: on a flight. It wasn’t a dramatic flash of lightning, more like a curious itch I couldn't stop picking at. Lost in my music and the hum of the plane, a single scene flashed through my mind. With nothing better to do at 30,000 feet, I asked the fateful question: What could have led up to this?

I liked the answer, so I asked it again. What could have led up to this? And again. You get the point. Working backward from that single moment, I began piecing a world together.

This didn’t all happen on one flight, of course. I landed, and normal life resumed. But the story stuck with me, taking shape over the following days until I couldn't keep it all in my head. I had to get organized. I found an old notebook and went to town. When that filled up, I realized I had to get really get organized. So, I did what any self-respecting auditor would do: I built an Excel sheet.

The story grew and grew until it finally dawned on me (about a year into world-building): I should probably write a book. First, I researched the publishing industry to understand what I was dealing with. Then, I used that research as procrastination (blank page syndrome). But after consuming every piece of writing advice on the internet (I saw every episode of Brandon Sanderson’s Writing Lecture series, can’t recommend it enough), I couldn’t hide from it any longer. I put pen to paper, and the adventure began.

The result was Project Iron, the first book in an epic fantasy series. I poured my heart and soul into it, giving it all the bells and whistles. But as it turns out, it’s a tad long for a debut author trying to break into traditional publishing. So, I wrote Project Time: a standalone adult fantasy that fits into the industry's debut word-count thresholds. Which brings us to today: hip-deep in the querying trenches, spreadsheets and all.