About the Author

 

Kenneth McDonald was born on Earth in July of 1969. Once he got used to the idea he had been fortunate enough to be born in a Western country in the twentieth century, the young man prospered, dedicating himself to the proposition that "you can never get enough education." Persevering in the face of hardship the young McDonald became the first in his family to tack additional letters after his name, letting the B.A. from Berkeley go to his head and in a fit of delusion going back to the UC system for yet more abuse. By the time he got his M.A. in history it was too late to go back. Working up to three jobs at a time, ranging from softball umpire to student body vice president to proofreader to teacher to lackey (read as: research assistant), he sank deeper and deeper into the limbo that is graduate school, where he finally began to understand the story of Sisyphus. He has taught freshman history courses at half a dozen colleges in northern and southern California before sojourning to the Deep South, where the culture shock quickly catapulted him back to the West Coast. The realities of the academic job market led him to eventually transition to a glorious career as an education consultant for a state agency, which actually pays the bills and offers both health care and a pension.

Now at the halfway point of his life (hopefully), Ken refuses to take life or himself too seriously, and sneers at those who do. In addition to writing, which helps him keep a handle on sanity, Ken enjoys fantasy role-playing games such as Neverwinter Nights, reading, Netflix's Instant Queue, and wasting time slaying monsters or terrorists on his computer or Xbox. He lives in northern California, and is very much in love with his wife Suzanne, who inspires him to greater heights of creativity.


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