Lawrence, Mr Chris

About the Author The Introduction - Chris Lawrence is the nom de plume of author C. L. de Graffenried, which pen name represents the given parts of his full name. The family surname is ‘de Graffenried’ in French, Dutch, and English (and ‘von Graffenried’ in German). He is the son of Albert Lawrence and his wife Joanne Laskey, both identified prominently in the Enemies Foreign and Domestic Trilogy. Loosely translated from Switzer-Deutsch (Swiss-German) the surname means ‘of the House of the Count of the Reeds.’ The author’s family surname dates back some dozen generations in America to his far great-great grandfather of the same name, who founded New Bern, NC in 1710. Baron Christoph was a member of a very limited landed aristocracy living in America, established by Royal Grant and Decree from the King of England. Further back, the surname dates to the founding of Bern, Switzerland (CH), at the start of the 12th century, in an oxbow of the Aare River. The banks of that river are ringed with cat-a-nine-tails, and thus the ‘ried’ (German) reference to ‘reeds’ (English). On his mother’s side, Joanne’s family descends from Isaac Allerton, who arrived in America aboard The Mayflower, and settled in Marblehead, MA during the 1620’s. As a result of his two lineages, the author has always been fascinated by history. As such, he has a predilection for both studying history and writing historical novels. The Story – The author was personally involved with the story recounted in Enemies Foreign and Domestic Trilogy, including the extended patent litigation from 1962 through 1992. He and his wife, Kathie, did indeed finance the litigation all the way up to the US Supreme Court, carrying four mortgages to fund those extremely burdensome legal expenses. Much of the information contained in this historical novel was derived from the actual litigation and US Court records. The military and historical information was taken from the 2nd Armored Cavalry historical archives and other pertinent historical references. The Author’s History – The author graduated from North Shore High School in Glen Head, LI NY, and received his college degrees from Rensselaer and New York University. He has multiple degrees in science, engineering, and business. For years the author has written historical novels, science fiction, and short stories under the pen name Chris Lawrence at Bobtail Novels. His diverse college degrees lend a certain factual precision and a technical perspective to his writing. Two other scientific fiction and historical works that may also be of interest to the reader include the novels The E-Gene and NY Power Politics. The first novel begins with the autopsy of Albert Einstein, following his death on April 18, 1955. Medical records show that during that autopsy the Chief Medical Examiner in fact removed and hid Einstein’s brain both without the knowledge and against the wishes of the family. Einstein’s body was then cremated. That is historical fact. This historical novel conveys that purloined genetic material into a plausible outcome based on today’s cutting-edge genetic technology. The second novel follows the rise and fall of an ambitious, politically connected woman with strong personal drives and desires, but with relatively few scruples, during her dramatic quest to climb to the top echelons of New York power politics. This real to life novel is set against the backdrop of the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center disaster.