R. T. Vale

I was half inclined to claim that I spend my free time riding dragons, wrestling trolls, and occasionally solving crimes that the authorities would rather not discuss. Unfortunately, dragons are notoriously difficult to insure, trolls refuse to fight fair, and my actual life is considerably less dramatic.

So, regrettably, the truth.

I am Rishabh Thakur, writing fiction under the pen name R. T. Vale. I have spent more than twenty-five years as an enthusiastic reader, which is a polite way of saying that books have stolen an unreasonable amount of my sleep.

By profession, I work in technology—a world of systems, puzzles, stubborn problems, and the occasional mystery that refuses to behave as expected. I suspect some of that way of thinking has followed me into fiction: an interest in patterns, small inconsistencies, and what happens when perfectly sensible pieces combine to produce something altogether less sensible.

When I am not working or writing, I enjoy reading, photography, travelling, and motorcycle rides—preferably the kind where the road lasts longer than originally planned.

The Ninth Crossing is my debut novel.

For now, the motorcycle will have to do. Until someone finds me a dragon.

And if, by some extraordinary turn of events, you happen to have an egg—or perhaps a hatchling—from Daenerys Targaryen’s collection, do get in touch.