SleepingOrange

SleepingOrange is the scholarly handle adopted by Xavier Quentin Mandialinas; born in -64 CE, he is a trained botanist and professional apiarist, and is considered something of an expert on life sciences and folk traditions.

Early Life
Xavier Mandialinas was born in the small town of Descenta, the eldest son of Marina (née Viredski) and Robert Mandialinas. His mother and father both worked in apiculture (and were in fact owners of the Liquid Amber Apiary); while the family could not be considered poor, they frequently struggled. Mandialinas was forced to pay his own way through schooling, and could not afford to take a full courseload, forced as he was to maintain a full-time job all through his schooling. Shortly after he completed his botanical studies, his father fell gravely ill, forcing Mandialinas to return home and assume much of the management of Liquid Amber Apiary.

Scholarly Career
Mandialinas spent much of his adult life administrating his family's business; as such, despite his initial desires to enter the world of scholarly research, he had little time to pursue his goals, and until recently was completely absent from academia. Following his wife's death, however, he became determined to reenter the scholarly field, and has since published numerous books, including Nectar-Bearing Flowers of Gan Vahl, Medicinal Applications of Shrimpwort, and A Brief History of Animism in Terra Alta. His current focus is on providing articles for this encyclopedia.

Personal Life
Mandialinas married his wife, Katarina (née Zinsmeister), in -41 CE; the two were happily married for 36 years until Katarina passed away in a tragic fire. They had two children, Nathan and Felix.