Droids & Dragons Author, Ronald L. Kundinger

Ron Kundinger

Meet Ronald L Kundinger, 67 years old and living in Appleton, Wisconsin, US.

"I have always dreamed of being a writer, always thought of myself as a writer. I just didn’t seem to have the fortitude to put things to paper. I wrote myself short stories, crumpled them up, and threw them away. Then I would dream of the stories I would write. I wrote poetry when I was younger and published 30+ poems in small press ‘zines in the late 80’s and early 90’s. It wasn’t until 2025 that I was convinced by a friend (he also submitted a story to D & D), to actually write down my stories. Since then, I have completed 9 short stories. I have submitted to various anthologies and contests."

'Sweeper', will be Ron's 2nd short story to be published. His first, 'For Lucy', is scheduled to be drop shortly in the anthology, 'Sunlit Sips & Garden Whispers'.

Ron would dearly love to believe his prose is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury.

"His vivid and poetic prose, tinged with horror and nostalgia is, in my opinion, unmatched."

Bradbury's literary work is classic, and you'll have to read "Sweeper" to judge if Ron hit is goal.

When we asked Ron where he got the idea for his 'Droids & Dragons' story, 'Sweeper', his response was, "It’s a story I’ve had rumbling in my head for years. This anthology was the impetus for me to get it on paper."

"Sweeper" is a great story and one of our favorites. Here's a snippet that will draw you into the world of Droids and make you want to stay.

     He chuckled softly. “Test subject. For now, there is only one. Me. You will perform the operation to combine my consciousness with a mechanical android body, to replace the collapsing, physical body that I now inhabit. There is only the need for the one test subject. If the test fails, it no longer matters. I will be dead. You, in that situation, would be free, free to figure out your own existence.”

Many writers have book series that they'll read over and over again. With Ron it's J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King. He has read 'Lord of the Rings Trilogy' 20+ times and Stephen King’s 'Dark Tower series' twice. But he still has standalone favorites.

"My two favorite single books are Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and Imajica, by Clive Barker."

Superpowers are important to writers and when asked, Ron would say, "Well, I’d like to believe that I write realistic and engaging conversations."

Droids & Dragons is available on Amazon and drops 9/25/2026.