About The Author
Bill Relf challenges his readers with stories interlaced with intrigue and inspiration. His roots are in the coal mines and steel mills of Western Pennsylvania and the arts of Chautauqua, New York. With his writings he explores the rich interplay of businesses, politics, culture, and religion on the global stage. His grandfather had gone into the coal mines when he was twelve. When Bill was twelve, his mother told him he head to bring money into the house. He began a business of lawn care, house painting, and snow shovelling. From these roots he earned a Master of Business and founded six manufacturing and consulting businesses. His technical and consulting companies had contracts in fuel cell and solar energy analysis and development. He created business plans for small companies and for the research division of a large corporate utility.
He studied political geography. He managed a Congressional campaign. He earned a BA in economics and a PhD in international relations, which led into the history of nations, how they develop and why they wage wars. He gave a business seminar in Iran. When China opened up in the early 1980’s, he was in China numerous times seeking business opportunities. Through his business travels he observed the modernization of China and Southeast Asia. He analyzed the industrial capabilities of Zimbabwe, Africa, before its catastrophic decline. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the pursued the unlikely task of selling a Soviet battleship to an Asian government. He lived for three years in Singapore.
As a university professor he taught strategy, international management, and entrepreneurship. Researching for a novel, he travelled through the jungles and cities of Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar, and rode a tramp steamer through the Malacca Straits to Brunei and Sarawak. Using his diverse experiences, he creates great stories and characters for his reader that entertain and challenge their thinking, and provide a bit of learning.
“Experiences can entertain and inspire. I want to provide unforgettable characters, and actions that challenge the mind and tug the heart. Hidden truths travel openly in fiction. Some unsettling realities and forecasts are parts of my novels. Creating a good story is a work of art. My ‘fiction’ just might be in tomorrow’s headlines.”
“I started with nothing. If I consume and lose everything by the time I die, I will have broken even.”