Hello there!
My name is Mark Bachofer, and welcome to my website. Whether you're here to discover more about my writing projects, designed games, or other professional endeavors, you'll find that information here.
My name is Mark Bachofer, and welcome to my website. Whether you're here to discover more about my writing projects, designed games, or other professional endeavors, you'll find that information here.
Even before my first attempt at a novel in middle school, scribbling in one of those old-fashioned black composition notebooks, I've always had a deep love of books. This passion would carry me into adulthood, where in between getting my Masters in Library and Information Science and running a library of my own, I have now finished five novel-length projects. In Summer 2018 (when only two of these five were complete), I entered into the CRAFT First Chapters contest. While I did not place, my excerpt was ranked among the top 2% of entries, and I have continued to submit to other literary journals.
I am compelled by stories where the characters feel like real people, treat each other and their world with heart and humor, and have a touch of genre-savviness. I delight in inventing new challenges to pit quick-witted protagonists against, and enjoy blending genres to create engaging and unique reading experiences.
For a very long time, board and tabletop role-playing games have been a large part of my life. To date, the longest campaign I've ever ran lasted for just shy of a decade - and the delight I find from creating stories cooperatively has only grown since then. Games allow people to compete and collaborate, and by playing them, we grow closer with each other.
While I've got a definite penchant for strategy and competition, the games that I've designed also emphasize working together.
My other professional experience primarily resides in my experiences working with the Contra Costa County Public Library system. Since 2019, if you've frequented the Pleasant Hill, Oakley, or Crockett branches, there's a good chance you've seen me there! I love being a part of the library system, providing not only a third space for the public to gather, engage, and learn, but also an absolutely massive collection of items and resources for free. Libraries are one of the few remaining free commmunity hubs, and it gives me great pleasure to be a part of such a system.