He was born in America, lived on an active volcano and found love with a woman from Norfolk.
And now David Faber is catching the attention of fantasy lovers with his debut novel.
Mr Faber, from Dereham, has written Circles In Stone: Search for the Jewel of Power.
The story weaves together Hawaii, Britain, King Arthur and Merlin in a book the 69-year-old describes as “a work of love”.
The book uses the real life of John Dee, the court astronomer and advisor to Elizabeth I, and his son, Arthur, who moved to Norwich and became a friend of Sir Thomas Browne.
Mr Faber grew up in northern New York State on a farm.
He moved to Florida where he trained and worked in retail, before moving back to New York State.
This allowed him to explore his passions of science and history, before eventually becoming a home designer - but a trip to Hawaii in 1989 changed everything.
“I fell in love with its rich history and geology, I built my first home there in 1992 before I moved there for over 25 years,” he said.
“I built my last home near the active volcano Kilauea. With my extensive knowledge of earth science, I got my last job as a part-time US Park Ranger at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park."
Mr Faber had visited England several times before moving to Dereham in 2019 after meeting his wife Judith at a party during a previous visit to Norfolk.
“Publishing my book feels like quite an accomplishment, I love being a storyteller," he added.
“My book is a blending of histories and a visual trip across both lands. There is nothing like a good story that helps us remember things we would normally forget.”
The book is available at Norski Noos Gallery and Fitzherbert’s shop in Dereham, and on Amazon. The book can also be ordered through Waterstones
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