Stephen T. Harper

A Very Good Looking Illumination Bio

First of all, despite the impression you may receive from any photos or detailed descriptions of me, I’m very good looking. There is a certain element of intrigue and some even say danger lurking just behind my warm hazel eyes and just above my hypnotically flaring nostrils.

Here is a rendering by my niece which I think captures the overall impact quite well. It also features my wife, Christie, who’s existence provides nearly overwhelming evidence that at least one person likes me.

As a writer, I work best at polar opposites of the spectrum — either very funny or very serious, light as a feather, or the weight of the world.

Funny…

or serious…

You might think I write in such different voices as a helpful demonstration in poor branding, or that I want to attract exactly half of the audience I probably could if I just stuck to one style. And you might be right. But if you are it would be very ironic because I am also, in fact, a brand consultant and copywriter.

Actually, I write the way(s) I do because I love them both.

Primarily, I am a novelist. And while one day I will write a funny novel, my books to date are very serious. I write smart supernatural suspense novels about characters who are fated to recall many past lifetimes in full detail.

The story is a chase through history, lifetime to lifetime — so heroes may become villains and lovers may become enemies as they must find each other again each time, never quite knowing who is who until it’s too late.

I love writing these books. They are filled with thoroughly researched history, imagination and passion. The third in the series is coming soon and the first is now FREE when you sign up for the newsletter @ webofsouls.com.

Meanwhile, blogging and posting on Medium lets me indulge in the opposite style from time to time and I love that too.

Here’s one that does a little of both. It was my first story for Illumination. Thank you to Dr. Yildiz and everybody at Illumination for inviting me in.

Oh, and I do have one superpower (that I know of).

I’m supernaturally punctual. I don’t wear a wristwatch, I don’t particularly care if I’m late or not, but somehow the entire Universe seems to organize itself so that I arrive wherever I’m going exactly on time. By this I mean, if I’m late there will be a water main break on a different street that diverts traffic away from the route I must take, freeing me up to casually hit every green light even though I’m not rushing. If I am going to be early, I will suddenly realize that I left my wallet at home at exactly the time it would take to turn around, go home, and start the trip over to arrive precisely on time.

As superpowers go, it’s not what I would have picked had I been consulted.

But hey, at least I’m not Swamp Thing, right? So I count it as a blessing.