Hariolf Betz was born in a small administrative town in southern Germany which he found as picturesque as it was dull. He finally made his way to Ulm, which he describes as "just as picturesque and dull, though clearly on a higher level", whatever that's supposed to mean. Driven by an unrelenting eagerness to procrastinate, as well as the stubborn conviction that he must be talented in something, he has indulged in acting, poetry, competitive drinking, improv theatre, crocodile wrestling, philosophy, and finally: creative writing.