Robert R. Coenraads
My name's Robert Coenraads and I'm holding a rock in my hand. That's because as well as being an author I'm also a geologist. I'm deeply interested in the our planet Earth, its fiery birth some 4,600 million years ago, and the evolution of its rich variety of life that exists today.
When I'm not writing books, I work in mineral exploration, searching the planet for exotic metals, precious gemstones and ornamental rocks like the piece of gem turquoise I have in my hand.
My great passion for writing blossomed since discovering the great joy of distilling humankind's vast reservoirs of knowledge and spiritual truths for others to enjoy and benefit from.
Over the years, I've been invited to write, contribute to, or consult on quite a number of books — grand 'coffee table style' publications packed with world-class photographs, mostly titles to do with the natural sciences such as Rocks & Fossils, Geologica, Natural Disasters and Extreme Earth because that is my area of expertise.
I especially enjoy my own personal creative writing — novels on themes which enable me to explore the intricacies of human relationships and potential.
I am also founding president of FreeSchools World Literacy in Australia, an organisation dedicated to the education of underprivileged children as I believe a good education is key to solving all of the world's problems. This is such a strong belief of mine that it can't help but reflect in my writing.
“Rocks are not static and inert. They are constantly changing, shifting, and rearranging their form and location. They can be melted, deposited, eroded and squeezed into new forms... They offer clues about the shifting, changing nature of the continents, mountain ranges, oceans and islands... When an animal or plant dies and its remains leave an impression in rock, the resulting fossil is a testament to life's history and its changing, evolving nature... Explore the fossils life has left as clues to its evolution.”