Hi there.
I used to host my site on Blogger, but I got bored with it and wanted to create something custom on my own, for the fun of it. I also wanted to have a wiki platform of my own that I control, featuring my original content.
Most of the content I have migrated to this new site are posts centered around "retrospectives" – my walks down memory lane on fiction works that have influenced my own writing or hold a special place in my heart. As such, most blogs on this site are organized in retrospective groupings.
I'm keeping this site simple, going forward. It is built only with HTML, PHP, and CSS, using a MySQL backend. No fancy Javascript or features. There is no commenting function. It is just my thoughts and info on my novels, hosted in the ether, without the expectation of a response. I hope you find them entertaining, or interesting enough to make you try a new fiction series.
I don't post content in any regular cadence, as over the last 10 years I've learned that blogging is hard and I can't put out quality work on a near-daily basis.
If you're actually interested in commenting or whatnot, you can check out my Facebook. The link is near the bottom of the page. Or you can submit a review of one of my novels on Amazon.
About Me
So actually, I'm not Brad Murgen.
My real name is Jeff Bumgardner, and Brad Murgen is an anagram of my last name. I chose this nom de plume because I figured it would be easier for people to remember and spell correctly (people usually misspell Bumgardner) and because it was unique in terms of the internet (no other Brad Murgens, many Jeff Bumgardners). Think of it as my creative brand.
I played in a few metal bands in my youth, namely:
- Lead — 1993-2000, Omaha NE (Drums)
- Broken Hope — 2000-2001, Chicago IL (Drums, touring only)
- Raising Water by Fire — 2003-2007, Arlington, VA (Guitar)
I have also created some electronic music on my own, you can find it on Bandcamp for free.
I have a YouTube channel, where I've posted all the recorded music from Lead and Raising Water by Fire, as well as a variety of gaming videos (PAIN, Burn Zombie Burn, The Eye of Judgment). I was big into gaming under the handle Vyrastas in the PS3 era, around 2006-2016, but rarely play now.
I have been writing fiction on and off since the late 90s, since my college days, but never got serious about publishing anything until around 2011.
I have held a variety of jobs in a wide array of industries – corn detasseling, fast food, a box factory, a mailroom, an insurance company, drummer in a death metal band, a registrar in an emergency room, finance and data mining in telecommunications, and iOS app developer. Currently, I'm a technical writer in Silicon Valley.
I live in Morgan Hill, CA with my wife and daughter.