In September 2004, Mayer met romance novelist Jennifer Crusie at a writer's conference in Maui. Four more were published from 2018 to 2020. He wrote eight sequels to Area 51 from 1998 to 2004. In 1997, under his pen name Robert Doherty, Mayer released Area 51. A total of 9 books have been written in the series. The next year, he followed with his second novel, Dragon Sim-13. Mayer began his writing career in 1991 with the Green Beret novel Eyes of the Hammer. His books have hit on numerous bestselling lists including The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Though most of his novels reside within the realm of science fiction, he has crossed successfully into multiple genres including historical, military, suspense, young adult and romance. To date, he has published over 65 titles. Mayer's prolific writing encompasses both his military experience and his fascination for history, legends and mythology. He has completed 14 marathons, including qualifying for the Boston Marathon and running it three times. He is a Master Parachutist/Jumpmaster Qualified and graduated from the International Mountain Climbing School. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Instructor Training Course and the Danish Royal Navy Fromandkorpset. Mayer is an honor graduate of the Special Forces Qualification Course, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School in Fort Bragg, NC.

He later taught Green Beret recruits at the John F. He served as the operations officer for 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and with Special Operations Command (Special Projects) in Hawaii. He joined Special Forces and commanded a Green Berets A-Team from 1984 to 1988. In the Army, Mayer served in the infantry with the 1st Cavalry Division, later as platoon leader and a brigade recon platoon leader. He later earned a master's degree in Education at Austin Peay State University.

There, he graduated with honors in the top 10 percent of his class, earning a BA in psychology in 1981. After high school, Mayer was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Robert John 'Bob' Mayer was born in the Bronx, New York City on October 21, 1959. He holds the distinction of being the only male author on the Romance Writers of America Honor Roll. He has written under the pen names Joe Dalton, Robert Doherty, Greg Donegan, and Bob McGuire. Mayer has authored over 60 novels in multiple genres, selling more than 4 million books, including the #1 series Area 51, Atlantis, and The Green Berets. He is a West Point graduate and former Green Beret. Robert Mayer is a New York Times-bestselling author and the CEO of Cool Gus Publishing. Science fiction, thriller, historical, romance

Area 51 by Robert Doherty