Dave Willmarth is a science fiction and fantasy author who has been a fan of these genres for his entire life. He discovered his passion for gaming in the 1970s, playing games such as "Dungeons and Dragons," "Tank," and "Pong." Willmarth's love for gaming and fantasy fiction came together when he stumbled upon the LitRPG/GameLit genre, which combines elements of both. This discovery was a significant one for Willmarth, as it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for his writing.
Prior to his discovery of the LitRPG/GameLit genre, Willmarth had been writing for several decades, but had never managed to finish any of his manuscripts. His writing was often put aside due to work or other life distractions. However, after reading over 300 titles in the LitRPG/GameLit genre in less than ten months, Willmarth was inspired to publish his own work. His debut novel, "Io Online," was the first book in the "Greystone Chronicles" and was published in 2017.
Willmarth is a part-time author who dreams of living full-time in the game worlds he creates. He is inspired by the idea of mixing the science of virtual reality with the fantasy worlds inspired by great writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. After discovering the LitRPG/GameLit genre, Willmarth was motivated to sit down and write the first two books of "The Greystone Chronicles" in just over a month. The positive response to his first published book was a surprise, and he now spends his late nights writing about the characters and worlds he has always wanted to explore.