Jessica Burke is teacher by trade and a self-professed Geek by nature. She’s an avid bibliophile, self-taught herbalist, a fan of cats, songs about Cthulhu, and sushi. Ms. Burke first heard about Neil Gaiman while in college―when she “borrowed” a copy of Sandman: Fables and Reflections.

But it wasn’t until a decade later, when attending ComicCon, that she became reacquainted with Gaiman’s work―when he appeared to read some of Bod’s Adventures. Hearing the author himself do a reading from his work is second only to one other experience in terms of inspiration― hearing J.R.R. Tolkien read on LP.

When she was five years old, Ms. Burke discovered a recording of Professor Tolkien reading “Riddles in the Dark” from The Hobbit in the local library. It was a formative childhood experience. Hearing Gaiman as an adult was the natural successor as both authors have had a profound effect on her life and work. Ms. Burke has published on a range of topics from J.R.R. Tolkien to Beowulf to Doctor Who.