Robert D. San Souci was born in San Francisco and raised nearby in
Berkeley. In elementary school, San Souci wrote for the school newspaper; in high school, he worked on the school yearbook and had an essay printed in a book titled
T.V. as Art. As a student at St. Mary's College, he took a variety of classes in creative writing, English and world literature. In graduate school, he studied folklore, myths and world religions. San Souci adapted folktales into the titles ''The Samurai's Daughter
, The Enchanted Tapestry
, The Talking Eggs
, Sukey and the Mermaid
, Cut from the Same Cloth
, The Hired Hand
, A Weave of Words
, and the Caldecott Honor book The Faithful Friend
. He also produced the Short and Shivery
and Dare to Be Scared'' series, an
Arthurian sequence, and retellings of
Native American myths, most of which are directed to middle school students. His work puts an emphasis on strong female protagonists. San Souci was also a copywriter and a book editor. Prior to becoming a full-time author, he held jobs as a bookseller, editor, advertising copywriter, and theater and film reviewer. San Souci stated that he gave permission for others to retell his stories with credit. San Souci said of his first published book: "In 1978, my first book,
The Legend of Scarface, was published and illustrated by my younger brother, Daniel San Souci. The book was highly acclaimed. I was lucky to have an artist/illustrator in the family – it's great working with Dan". Another time he said, "I love to travel by bus. I can sit and stare out the window and simply observe. I love to listen for the flow and rhythm of the language that different people use". He once journeyed around the United States, drawing inspiration from local legends, folktales, and history for works such as
Cut from the Same Cloth: American Women of Myth, Legend, and Tall Tale (1993) and
Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend (1994). == Death ==