Dumitru Sandru

Dumitru “Mit” Sandru was born in the greater Transylvanian region in the last millennium—okay, the last century (and no, he's not a vampire… yet). Unfortunately, his birthplace, Romania, was tucked behind the Iron Curtain, in a world where socialism meant everyone was equally poor, miserable, and doomed to die by 65. Life under that regime was gray, grim, politically oppressed, and tightly controlled. See “Escape from Communism” at Amazon books.

At the age of five, Mit was shot at point-blank range with a Kalashnikov—fully automatic. He survived. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of his life.

From a young age, Mit showed artistic promise, drawing and painting in oils. But he also excelled in math and sciences—a rare duality. Living under a system that dictated every aspect of his life, Mit decided he’d rather choose his own path. At 18, he escaped the socialist-communist country, dodging bullets, snarling dogs, six-foot stone walls, and even a tornado in the middle of a wheat field at night. No, he’s not Superman—just stubbornly human.

Mit arrived in America searching for freedom, fame, fortune, and glory. He’s still working on three of the four. Along the way, he’s been grazed by lightning, caught a shark by the tail (once), survived (thanks to his daughter) a monkey attack in Japan, and had more close calls with rattlesnakes than he cares to count, while building a house in his spare time—no connection to the snakes.

Eventually, life sort of tamed him. He became a responsible citizen, raised a family, took care of a dog and cats, and earned degrees in engineering and management, with attempted side-quests in music, marketing, and IT. A certified student and professional, he collected licenses more for wall decoration than use.

At 59¾ years old, he walked away from the corporate grind and a six-figure salary, supposedly with a golden handshake, or a golden boot out the door. Finally free, Mit threw himself into the passions he had long juggled as hobbies—painting, music, and writing. He’s added fourteen published books (and counting) to his legacy —his books are available on Amazon. He illustrates all his books and released a coloring book “Abstract Dreams: Coloring Book 1.”

It’s no wonder others have called him a Renaissance Man.

Disclaimer: Everything here is true. And yes—the bullets were blanks; as I said I was not a vampire.

I’m Mit Sandru, and I approve this gloriously unfiltered biography.