Norman Bowles is the author of The Earth Keeper’s Quest: A Santa Origin Chronicle, a tale born from the playful inspiration of two cats and a long-held curiosity about Santa’s secret beginnings. Though his first book, it grew out of a lifetime of seeking adventure in unexpected places.

Norman’s real-world adventures span continents, careers, and challenges as demanding as any quest in fiction. He has traveled to all seven continents and across the “seven seas,” lived in six countries and ten states, and visited more than 80 nations. His career path was no less adventurous: service in military intelligence undercover, high-stakes problem-solving in government, and leading missions that felt more like expeditions than jobs. He created the regulatory and licensing framework that enabled new companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to take flight, worked inside the White House during a time of national reinvention, and led a struggling 24/7 operation through a dramatic turnaround to win both national recognition and a Presidential award.

 At home in the mountains of Colorado, Norman is a ski, snowboard, and telemark instructor, and a former hiking guide who has led adventurers on remote trails and to the summits of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks. When not working or writing, he can be found cross-country skiing, biking, or exploring the high country on foot.

These adventures through life, though demanding, always carried a sense of exploration. Norman approaches storytelling the same way — with imagination, courage, and wonder for what might come next. He lives with his wife, Karen, and their two cats, Cindr and Indy, who both played starring roles in the creation of this tale.

This may be his first book, but if readers enjoy it, who knows what adventures await?