The Books:

Book cover for 'Tyr Flame-Breaker' by Ronald J. Pauley. Features three characters in armor with fiery background and dark ornate decoration.

Available now on Amazon

Book cover for "Tyr Flame-Breaker: The Poetic Edda" by Ronald J. Pauley. Features three characters in armor, with fiery background and runes.

—2027 —

A fantasy book cover titled 'Hidden Realms: Arwyn Tyrsen' shows a muscular man with long, curly hair, holding a spear, standing in front of a Roman army with a burning background, ancient armor, and banners.

—2028 —

The cover of a fantasy novel titled 'Hidden Realms: Memories of Aulon' by Ronald J. Pauley. The artwork features an epic landscape with a dark, cloudy sky, moons, and a tall, spiky city in the distance. Foreground characters include a young woman with long hair, a bearded man, and three alien-like beings with large heads and thin bodies.

Meet
Ronald J. Pauley

The author, Ronald J. Pauley, with gray hair and a beard, wearing a denim jacket, is outdoors in the mountains of Montana.

Ron grew up in the world of classical fantasy as the son of an English Literature teacher. After reading The Hobbit at the age of nine, he developed a lifelong love of mythic storytelling, science fiction, and fantasy literature.

His first published work—a love poem written for his childhood sweetheart—appeared in his father’s annual collection, The Sherwood Forrest, when Ron was just fifteen years old.

Ron later spent 21 years serving in the United States Navy, traveling the world and gathering many of the experiences that would later shape his storytelling. After retiring from military service, he began a second career as a software engineer in the health-records industry, where he worked until 2021.

Today, Ron devotes his time to writing, music, gardening, family life, and the occasional home project. He is the proud father of four grown children and grandfather of six.

Ron lives with his wife, Cheryl, in a coastal garden cottage surrounded by their lively horde of dogs and cats. Together, they share what he fondly calls “Mother’s Heart.”

A digitally processed image showing Ron and his wife, Cheryl. He is wearing a wide-brimmed hat as Cheryl is leaning into him, making a funny face and extending her arm up in an exaggerated pose.
A digitally processed image showing Ron and his wife, Cheryl. He is wearing a wide-brimmed hat as Cheryl is leaning into him, making a funny face and extending her arm up in an exaggerated pose.

My Nerthus, Cheryl, among the blossoms of one of our ten flower gardens. For a few fleeting weeks each year, every flower blooms in radiant splendor, and our cottage and grounds become our own Mother's Heart—a small corner of heaven brought to life on Earth.

Cheryl smelling a pink hydrangea flower in a garden with black-and-white foliage, with the flowers in vibrant color.
Cheryl smelling a pink hydrangea flower in a garden with black-and-white foliage, with the flowers in vibrant color.
Ron, with white hair and a beard, smiling, standing outdoors near pink hydrangea flowers and greenery.
Ron, with white hair and a beard, smiling, standing outdoors near pink hydrangea flowers and greenery.
Black and white photo of a man with gray hair playing an electric guitar in a cluttered home office. The man is sitting in front of a desk with two monitors, one showing artwork and the other showing a document. Behind him, a large colorful poster of a person playing guitar in a cosmic landscape is on the wall. The desk has various items including a laptop, mouse, and other objects, and a guitar is propped against the wall beside him.

My office may be small, but it gets the job done. It is the most isolated room in the house, which makes it the perfect place to write, work on illustrations, and play guitar without disturbing anyone.

Music has been part of my life for more than 50 years. After taking a long break from the guitar, I picked it back up last year, and it has quickly become my second favorite thing to do. When I’m not writing, I’m often playing—and sometimes I do both at the same time.

This little room is where much of my creative work comes together: stories, artwork, music, and the world of Hidden Realms.

A collage of three black-and-white photos showing a home office and music room. The top photo features a desk with dual monitors, a guitar on a stand, a chair, and wall decorations including a Norse mythology family tree chart. The bottom left includes a bookshelf with books, framed photos, and a guitar mounted on the wall. The bottom right displays a round sign with a tree and the words "TYR FLAME BREAKER," a shelf with books and figurines, and more wall decorations, including axes and a sword.
Ron at Planet Fitness, wearing sunglasses and headphones, is sitting on a bench and lifting dumbbells with electrical effects around them.

My third favorite thing is working out. The muscles are real. The barbells crackling with lightning? Not so much.

The tank top is from Type O Negative, one of the greatest gothic metal bands ever to come out of Brooklyn. Sadly, they're long gone since the passing of frontman Peter Steele, but their music lives on.

If you've never heard them, do yourself a favor and check out "Black No. 1" and "Love You to Death." Both are classics and a perfect introduction to the band's dark, melodic sound.