bˈɔːɹn ɹˈɑːbɚt mˈɑːɹki ʃˈɛpɚd ˌɔn sɛptˈɛmbɚ twˈɛnti wˈʌn, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn ɪn tˈæmpə, flˈɔːɹɪdə, dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti z ʃˈɛpɚd wʌzɐ ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ pɹˈoʊɾəʒˌeɪ ænd lˈɪv ɪn pˈɜːsənəl sˈɛkɹətɹi ʌv ˈɔːθɚ mɜːsˈeɪdiːz lˈæki ænd ˈɑːɹɾɪst lˈæɹi dˈɪksən æt hˈaɪflaɪt, ðɛɹ tˈʌlsə, ˌoʊklɐhˈoʊmɚ ɹˈɛzᵻdəns.
Born Robert Marky Shepherd on September 21, 1961 in Tampa, Florida, during the 1990s Shepherd was a writing protégé and live-in personal secretary of author Mercedes Lackey and artist Larry Dixon at Highflight, their Tulsa, Oklahoma residence.