About R. Lauren
Some stories begin with imagination. Others begin with history.
For R. Lauren, they begin with both.
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Although his education led him down the practical path of engineering, graduating from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, writing always lingered beneath the surface. An English professor recognized an unexpected gift for storytelling, but professional life soon took center stage. Over the next several decades, R. Lauren built a successful career in engineering, business, entrepreneurship, public service, and community leadership while his creative aspirations patiently waited for the right time.
Blending meticulous historical research with contemporary fiction, The Torrent follows two interconnected lives separated by more than a century—a Civil War veteran and his great-grandson. While one story unfolds during the defining years of the Civil War, the other explores the transformative decades of the 1970s and 1980s, an era that quietly reshaped modern life through the emergence of the microchip, personal computing, and a new generation of innovators. Woven throughout both narratives are themes of faith, redemption, family, and the possibility that divine purpose is often at work beyond our understanding.
Following the publication of The Torrent, R. Lauren returned to the first novel-length manuscript he had written years earlier. Now extensively revised, The Orphan is nearing completion, with The Cavalryman—a historical novel centered on the 1864 Atlanta Campaign—already planned as his next work.
Beyond writing, R. Lauren’s life has been shaped by a wide range of experiences. Born in Richmond, Indiana, he and his wife, Pixie, have lived in six states while pursuing careers in engineering, entrepreneurship, and public service. He served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives and later on the boards of Enterprise Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. A lifelong distance runner and marathoner, he has also enjoyed sailing the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas, along with fly fishing, hunting, and skeet shooting. Today, he and Pixie make their home in Gainesville Florida
Whether writing historical fiction or contemporary drama, R. Lauren is drawn to stories where history, faith, and the human spirit intersect — stories that invite readers to consider that sometimes the most extraordinary moments begin with the simplest question: What if there’s more to the story than we can see?
