"You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are? Train whistles, anchor chains and airplane motors. Because it means somebody is goin' somewhere. Someday I'm gonna kick the dust from this crummy little town off my shoes and see the world!" George Bailey in "It's A Wonderful Life"
Vernon St. Clair Castle was born and raised in Los Angeles, a third generation Californian from a local ranching family. He studied at UCLA, the original plan to become a physician. A journey to Europe in 1971 set in motion deep doubts that he was, at that time, prepared to make the ten year commitment medicine would require. He felt that he didn’t possess the wisdom and depth of understanding about life to be a good doctor.
After a stint starting and managing his own business in high fidelity components and speakers, a hobby for many years, he realized that business was not his passion and returned to Europe in the summer of 1974. The calling to ask, "What is this?" was not to be denied. The camel had got its nose under the tent and there was no turning back.
What followed was a decade of travel, working when work was available. Along the way, the teachings of Buddhism became front and center. The wandering from Indonesia back to Europe constituted the frame of Book One, entitled “The Appearance of Things”.
Book Two, entitled “Boogie Time” is an excursion into the realm of speculative fiction, based in real world possibilities and informed with current understandings in genetics. It is a bow to his thirty years as a science educator and love of science fiction.
The information on carbon monoxide and genetic techniques is accurate and, hopefully, accessible to the non-scientist.
Book Three , working title “Ushuaia”, picks up at the end of book one and details a two year long journey around Central and South America, during the turbulent period of 1976 to 1978, when Operation Condor was in full swing in Argentina and Chile. Like so much in life, we sometimes don’t understand what we are caught in the midst of until time and distance lend perspective.
Vern began writing the stories he has waited forty years to tell in 2013, when he retired from teaching.
He currently divides his time between West Marin, California, Bali, Indonesia and Nayarit, Mexico.
Vernon St. Clair Castle was born and raised in Los Angeles, a third generation Californian from a local ranching family. He studied at UCLA, the original plan to become a physician. A journey to Europe in 1971 set in motion deep doubts that he was, at that time, prepared to make the ten year commitment medicine would require. He felt that he didn’t possess the wisdom and depth of understanding about life to be a good doctor.
After a stint starting and managing his own business in high fidelity components and speakers, a hobby for many years, he realized that business was not his passion and returned to Europe in the summer of 1974. The calling to ask, "What is this?" was not to be denied. The camel had got its nose under the tent and there was no turning back.
What followed was a decade of travel, working when work was available. Along the way, the teachings of Buddhism became front and center. The wandering from Indonesia back to Europe constituted the frame of Book One, entitled “The Appearance of Things”.
Book Two, entitled “Boogie Time” is an excursion into the realm of speculative fiction, based in real world possibilities and informed with current understandings in genetics. It is a bow to his thirty years as a science educator and love of science fiction.
The information on carbon monoxide and genetic techniques is accurate and, hopefully, accessible to the non-scientist.
Book Three , working title “Ushuaia”, picks up at the end of book one and details a two year long journey around Central and South America, during the turbulent period of 1976 to 1978, when Operation Condor was in full swing in Argentina and Chile. Like so much in life, we sometimes don’t understand what we are caught in the midst of until time and distance lend perspective.
Vern began writing the stories he has waited forty years to tell in 2013, when he retired from teaching.
He currently divides his time between West Marin, California, Bali, Indonesia and Nayarit, Mexico.