Robert Gardiner was born and raised in the north of England, his childhood fueled by an imagination sparked by anything mythical and magical. After spending so much of his life joyfully lost in the fantastical worlds of others, the thought finally occurred that he might as well just create his own; and his debut novel, The Call of the Empyrean, came to be. The process of its making proved a bright spot during his work as a doctor during the pandemic and deepened his appreciation of stories that lend the mind a little wonder and give the heart a little lift when it is needed most.