William KaufmannWilliam Kaufmann grew up in Connecticut. After graduating from Valparaiso University, he traveled to Kamakura, Japan, and by chance began studying pottery with a master potter, Kotake Gazon. He extended his stay to work with Kotake Sensei for two-andhalf-years, a study that shaped his work habits and artistic eye.Today, with his wife Cynthia Mosedale, Linden Hills Pottery has become an award-winning ceramic studio. They have both taught in multiple venues, and for years had an apprenticeship program with the local high school. His children, now grown, still help in the pottery and at art shows.Years before his interest in clay emerged, Bill wrote poems and short stories in high school. It wasn't until later in life that he took writing courses at the University of Wisconsin River Falls and at the Literary Loft in Minneapolis. He published his first short story in Pulp Fiction as a Hummingbird editor's choice winner. The 2nd Coming of Orlando Rock was his first novel that he shelved for almost 10 years. His second novel, The Change, won an SDSU merit award and Killing Bodhi, his third novel, was a Page Turner Award Finalist. One day, while re-reading Orlando Rock, the characters began speaking to him again. Perhaps no different from the 'voices' that Madison, the protagonist in the novel, experiences. Although Bill's voices don't predict the future, the story became more forceful and a new version took shape. Rising at 4 am for over a year, Bill re-wrote the novel you read today.The setting for The 2nd Coming of Orlando Rock leans on Bill's experiences at art shows and as a studio artist. It also reflects his interest in what he calls 'the other world, ' after a close brush with death. Read More Read Less