Kurt R. A. Giambastiani  Kurt Robert Achilles Giambastiani (born December 4, 1958) is a novelist whose works blend elements of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and romance. Giambastiani's work is also usually imbued with a strong historical context, resulting in many of his novels being classified as alternate history, historical fantasy, or historical fiction. Born in San Rafael, California, Giambastiani first embarked on a career in music. He studied classical music at San Francisco State University before transferring to the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, Israel. He moved to Seattle, Washington in 1984. Upon returning to the United States from Israel, he spent several years as a violist with regional orchestras, including five years as principal violist with the Bellevue Philharmonic in Washington State. At the same time, Giambastiani built a second career as a software developer. Giambastiani switched from music to writing in the early 1990s, concentrating on short stories in science fiction and fantasy. After several publications of his short fiction, he turned to novels and, in 2001, debuted with "The Year the Cloud Fell", the first volume in his Fallen Cloud Saga, which was a finalist for the Endeavour Award.