James M. Waddell was born at Amigo, West Virginia. He attended Mullens and Stoco high schools where he completed his junior year before joining the U.S. Navy. After the Navy he worked as a Department of Defense civilian where he retired after thirty-three years. He has traveled and studied Europe, Saudi Arabia, the USSR as well as various colleges and universities in the United States. He is presently retired and is living with his wife, Chris, in Madison, Alabama where he is working on the sequel to How Majestic and How Grand.