Seymour Stodgell is a history college dropout turned pulp fiction author. Currently in his early forties, he has produced over two dozen books, but remains all but completely unknown to the wide audience due to his inventive use of pseudonyms. Of course, his publishers know his occupation, as do those close to him, but for the most part he is able to walk the streets without being asked for an autograph on every corner.
His works are mostly adventure novels, set in remote lands and distant cultures, or sometimes in the near future (40s-50s). While Seymour has found himself lacking the mental discipline necessary to obtain a college degree, he has amassed a considerable amount of assorted bits of knowledge while doing research for his books. His novels are very reminiscent of Jules Verne works, to a degree bordering copyright infringement, but he is in denial about the notion and gets very upset every time a critic or a journalist mentions it.
Most of his books received lukewarm response from the critics and the general public, but one, titled “The Land of the Fallen Star”, was sold out almost instantly (but curiously, he has never seen a critic review on that one). That book dealt with the theory of Antarctic ice cape housing an alien life form brought to Earth in the prehistoric times by a meteorite impact. The income from that book alone allowed Seymour to buy an apartment in Manhattan, and at the moment he hopes to capitalize on exploiting the preternatural themes again, working on a book about the unexplained manifestations in New York.
Despite his considerable assets, Seymour’s spending habits remained frugal throughout his life. This has likely been the main cause of his divorce with his ex-wife Samantha. After the divorce, Seymour did not start drinking as many do, but instead picked up the new and dangerous hobby of automotive racing, seeking relief and self-satisfaction in the adrenaline of the race track.
