Robert Harken authored the critically acclaimed science fiction adventure, Life on Nubis, released in January, 2013, and the science fiction short story, Snow Falling, released in November, 2012. The power of storytelling to control emotions, shift thought, and change behavior has awed Harken since childhood. Though an avid reader in his youth, Harken never considered a career in writing. Like many people, he walked a winding path searching for fulfillment. His undergraduate degree in Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech offered Harken an opportunity to call spotted owls and trap alligators. A desire to manage human impact on Earth's ecosystems led him to recycling organic material on a large scale. The regulatory burden of this business piqued his curiosity in law. A Juris Doctor from William & Mary brought him into the world of corporate mergers and acquisitions, which served as a launching point for investment management. Though a successful investor and Chartered Financial Analyst, Harken realized that misalignment between investment management and his talents and personality meant a better fit existed elsewhere. He explored alternative routes with a Masters in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon. Harken now develops technology business strategies for one of the largest technology companies in the world.
Harken knows the impact on people when they labor at an ill-suited career, and he has witnessed the energy and joy experienced by people who have found their calling. When his daughter asked him what she should do when grown, Harken yearned for the words to convey his experiences with the hope of speeding her journey to fulfillment. At that moment, in the car driving his daughter to school, Harken's decades of hard learning failed to connect. After five minutes of stumbling through his advice, Harken had inspired a blank stare from his daughter. Determined to overcome this set back, he wrote Life on Nubis with the hope that sharing his knowledge in an engaging story will help others find more direct paths to happiness.