During his six years of service in the United States military, Mr. Paracka was deployed twice to the Middle East, once to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and once to South America. In S.A., he spent time in Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu and the valley of the Urubamba River. While travelling there he was inspired by the beauty of the Andes Mountains and its people, as well as their history and legends. Many of those stories as well as his personal impressions of the area were written into his book. Mr. Paracka earned an associate's degree in Computer Science and Accounting in 1968. After his military service, he returned to higher education and completed his under graduate work in History and Public Speaking in 1976. He continued his studies in the Masters Degree program offered at Colgate Rochester-Bexley Hall-Crozier Theological Seminary in Rochester, New York where the focus of his attention was Theology and Church History. Richard now lives in west central Florida where he is employed by Pasco-Hernando Community College. He has two adult children and has been married over thirty years. His wife owns and operates a walk-in medical clinic. His personal interests include travel and writing, activities which are a constant source of material and inspiration.