Ken Reynolds

Ken Reynolds, a native of South Africa, started writing books at age six. His first book was called 'Clatterty Bang Boom' and a copy still exists today. From that age till about fourteen he was very productive and kept all the books he wrote, several boxes full. He got his first typewriter at age 11 and learned to touch type. After that, his production of books slowed and in later life, he completed only a few books for children or teens, till the time he felt called to write Colour, a book he feels important to understand the history of South Africa. Today, apart from writing, Ken loves skating, travel, cartooning, photography, learning languages, and playing the piano. In the last few years, he and Linda have taken up ballroom dancing and have taken part in several shows.   
As a young man, he worked in a photo store in Pietermaritzburg, just like his main character in Colour. And, just like Ed, he chatted almost daily with an order clerk at a wholesaler over the phone, without ever setting eyes on her. Unlike his hero, he did not follow through with romance after meeting her in person, something he has always felt was an act of cowardice.
Ken started university at thirty-one, where he met and subsequently married his one and only, Linda. He happily taught at a primary school in South Africa for several years. When a new opportunity in America opened for him, he and Linda packed up their two small children and immigrated to Anchorage, Alaska. A couple of years later, they packed up all their belongings in a Ryder van and drove all the way to their new home in Virginia Beach. Here he taught in a private school for a couple of years, started his own photography studio and camera repair shop, then returned to teaching at a wonderful elementary school in Virginia Beach. The family did not see South Africa again till 2003, when they had a really happy family reunion in South Africa. A few years later they adopted a little Zulu girl, Mbali, from God's Golden Acre, the home run by his sister-in-law Heather. Today, he and Linda, along with their three children and two grandchildren, all live in Virginia, USA.