About Me
The two things I've been doing for as long as I can remember are programming computers and making up stories.
I don't know which has gotten me into more trouble over the years.
I've started programming computers as a kid back in the 80's. My first computer was a Commodore VIC-20, hooked up to a black and white CRT television set, and I had to save my programs to cassette tapes. It was a very different time back then. Of course I spent a lot of time playing games on that old machine, and later on the legendary Commodore 64 and the magnificent Amiga 500. And since I've always used my toys to act out stories I made up, I quickly became obsessed with story-driven games, AKA adventure games. I taught myself creating these kinds of games, but sadly none of those valiant efforts survived to this day -- or maybe it's better that way.
After finishing school, I went on to spend many years at university, studying all kinds of things, from computer science to archaeology. While enrolled at university, I started working for several tech companies like AOL and video game publishers like Eidos, and after university I just kept going by becoming a self-employed web devloper. This has been my day job ever since, and over the last 20 years, I've been working with big companies, small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. While most of my jobs are focused on web tech, I've never stopped working with game technology.
When working with a client, there's two words that best describe my philosophy: pragmatism and simplicity. I think most technology stacks these days, especially in web development, are overengineered and overly complex, leading to rising costs and more security risks. I focus on proven and reliable technology, not the latest fads. My clients don't pay me so I can experiment with new technology and charge them over and over again when it gets abandoned 6 months later. Many of my projects have been running for 10 years or even more without any larger issues. And today, thinking sustainably and preventing electric and electronic waste is more important than ever.
So much for my day job. My night job (and I'm a serious night person) is writing. In 2019, I finished and self-published the first book in a series I've been working on on and off since the early 2000's. BLACK KNIGHT is a coming-of-age story set in the mid-90's about a young woman finding her way against the backdrop of the conspiracy theories surrounding the alleged UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. It has received a lot of praise from my readers, and I followed it up with WHITE SANDS. Currently, I'm in the process of re-editing and expanding on both novels as well as it's two upcoming sequels. You can find more information at blueskieschronicles.com.
If you want to chat, feel free to email me at contact@mattgrandis.net.
