Andre Jones made his debut appearance (unless you believe in reincarnation - in which case this is his third) in Wollongong, Australia and is heading towards his 59th birthday.' Ok ok .. enough of that third-person pov ... I was born to Dutch immigrants, and my childhood was somewhat gloomy and challenging. Due to my ever-changing surroundings, I immersed myself with reading, drawing, and sometimes writing. I devoured the works of Enid Blyton before progressing to Tolkien, McAffrey, Asimov, Heinlein and Bradbury. As a young adult, I got lost in many and varied roleplaying games, including - MERP, GURPS, Harn, Skyrealms of Jorune, good old D&D (and its many variants) and Traveller, and also spent far too much time on video games like Skyrim. From the age of 18 I worked in many diverse occupations, including: Security Officer, Police Officer, Park Ranger and finally spending eighteen years as a Petty Officer (Electronics Technician) in the Royal Australian Navy. I currently reside in Melbourne with my lovely - and very understanding - Scottish wife and a British Shorthair cat, Alex. We also have the privilege of owning a beautiful home in Olonzac, in the south of France. This will eventually be our retiring abode, where I've no doubt more storytelling will take place. Now retired, the opportunity to write, roleplay, draw and potter is at my fingertips ... I hope you enjoy reading City of Bridges and immersing yourselves in the Seven Portals series ...