Robert grew up in a small English village, the repository of 1000 years of history engraved on the tombstones of its Norman Church. Without mobile phones, TV or the Internet, he made up stories.

Later in life, he found himself a clearance diver in the labyrinthine, murky waterways of the Mekong Delta, dismantling booby traps during the Vietnam War and receiving two bravery awards. He spent much time in Asia, and his storytelling is inspired by his life experiences living around the world and from random meetings with strangers.