Biography

W.L. Hoffman was born in the 1960’s in New Jersey. As a resident of a quiet island community, he spent much of his childhood imagining adventures above and below the waves. He worked many summers as a beach lifeguard, where rainy days meant uninterrupted reading and sunny days brought the occasional rescue in riptides best left to the locals.

Hoffman’s interest in reading was voracious from an early age, with a keen taste for fantasy and science fiction, and his teachers encouraged him to pursue this passion. He took advanced English curricula through high school and continued this trend in college. He received his BA in English from Duke University and attended English literature classes at New College at Oxford University in England.

Following his introduction to legislative drafting while serving in the Duke University student government, Hoffman obtained his JD from Cornell Law School. He edited and wrote as an associate on the Cornell International Law Journal and, between legal treatises, continued devouring fantasy and science fiction stories. With his creativity under daily siege from the law professors, his dreams wandered into strange realms as he quested for life’s higher meaning. Thus was born the foundation for The Soulstealer War. The concept lingered until Hoffman left a successful law practice to explore new horizons. Writing late night, after the work day ended and the children were asleep, the Realm of Weir flourished and characters blossomed into wondrous multi-layered reality.

Hoffman currently resides in central New Jersey with his wife and daughters. When not plying his day job or writing at night, he enjoys spending time with his girls, exploring mountain wilds, and telling tales on the front porch to the next generation of dreamers and writers.