Tom Ray, an admitted nerd, was born and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite being physically hobbled by near-fatal burns at 5, he channeled his energy into a fascination with aviation and technology, devouring works of Wells, Verne, Clarke, Asimov, and Heinlein. By the age of 14, he had taken his first flying lesson, built and flown model rockets, and learned to program on an IBM mainframe, showcasing his resilience and determination.
After the 1969 moon landing, he began writing stories to amuse his friends. He initially majored in journalism at North Carolina State University, but after a session with an advisor discouraging the ability to earn a living in writing, he found a more practical forte and a steady income in engineering and technology. Over the next 35 years, he gained work experience in nuclear power, project management of construction and start-up of research centers and pharmaceutical laboratories, and two decades in database development, IT project management, and digital animation and artwork.
His lifetime creed is based upon this quote by Henri Frederic Amiel: "What we call little things are merely the causes of great things; they are the beginning, the embryo, and it is the point of departure which, generally speaking, decides the whole future of an existence. One single black speck may be the beginning of gangrene, of a storm, of a revolution."
Tom has fought a lifelong battle with PTSD, anxiety, and depression, which led to his medical retirement in 2010. After counseling and proper medication treatment, he regained stability and sought a means to focus his talents in a way that gave repressed passion an outlet. That was the point at which he rediscovered a passion for creating science fiction. Drawing upon his life experiences, he had seen first-hand the impacts of technology on society.
In 2014, his passion and dedication led him to begin researching a book series he named the Archives of Atlanteas as a rework of story ideas he had saved since high school. He began crafting a more profound, adult, and darker version of the old story, confronting the political divisions challenging most aspects of present life. His goal became to turn it into an action-adventure set over 200 years in the past, yet delving into a present-day understanding of faith, conflict, hope, loss, morals, and manipulation of others reflected in a hidden civilization far more advanced than their peer nations in 1800. Through this method, he could question traditional definitions of morality and a very different possible reason for life.
He spent most of his time writing and keeping up with news in physics, astronomy, and space technology. He joined a local MeetUp group called Pubwriters until the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic prevented such gatherings, and the group disbanded. He continued working on the novels while isolated, publishing the first volume, "The Man Who Found Infinity," in December 2020, soon followed by "Death in the Abyss" and "Angels of the Dark and the Light." "The Enduring Goddess" has just been released, and book 5, "The Fifth Guardians," will be released soon.
The complete Archives of Atlanteas is written and in editing. The books will be released in two to three-month intervals until the complete ten-book series is out in ebook format, and the first five will be available later in 2024 as print-on-demand paperbacks.
In May of 2022, Tom had COVID-19, and in September, an emergency room visit detected he had suffered liver damage from the virus. After a fall due to weakness in his legs and pain in his feet in October 2023, his caring girlfriend insisted his doctor see him. In a complex combination of referrals following that, he got the stunning news he was suffering from Smoldering Myeloma, a controllable but incurable cancer of the blood and bone marrow. At present, it is being monitored but can advance to require more aggressive treatment. This has started a reevaluation of life goals and time to achieve them.
Presently, Tom is writing and marketing his novels and spending as much time as possible with his cat, Seth, his son, Phil, his girlfriend, Lucy, and their tiny dog, MyaMia.
