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Robert was born in Detroit but left with his parents after the riots of 1968 drove them to Minnesota. He grew up and spent his childhood days playing ice hockey, collecting stamps, and running cross-country. Robert was active in politics at a young age, and he recalls playing the role of Jimmy Carter during a mock debate before the 1976 presidential election. His dad was the mayor of his town.​ After graduating from high school, Robert went to a liberal arts school where he studied Greek and Roman history. He spent his junior year at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, where he studied philosophy and classical languages. After graduating, Robert went to a major seminary where he began studies in Sacred Scripture and theology. After leaving the seminary, he became an intelligence officer with the CIA and developed a fascination with political intrigue. Robert got married and recently celebrated his thirtieth wedding anniversary. He served in several overseas assignments, including one country that was once part of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was there that he gained a love for the region's hospitality and tradition of toasting. He has traveled extensively throughout the countries that once constituted the Roman Empire and spent a great deal of time in Rome and Istanbul, where his three-part historical fiction series takes place.

At the end of the fifth century, the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople was assailed by enemy armies on all sides and rapidly sliding into ruin. Barbarian invasions had already swept the Western Empire into the dustbin of history, and the emperors and generals seemed unable to do anything about it. In the sixth century, however, the genius of two men and their remarkable wives stood between chaos and order. Their names were Emperor Flavius Petrus Sabbateus Justinianus and General Flavius Belisarius. Their wives, Theodora and Antonina, respectively, are perhaps two of the most extraordinary women in history.

This book is the story of the challenges they faced collectively, how a climate catastrophe turned their beloved empire into a wasteland, and how the world's first global pandemic contributed to their inability to revive the sagging fortunes of the Roman Empire permanently.

Kindle Price: $5.99

Category: Literature & Fiction; History