About the author John R. Mattox II

Early Beginnings

Fiction writing has been a creative pursuit for John since his middle school years. In those early days, he would wake up early to type stories on his father’s TRS-80 Color Computer or sketch out plot outlines on blank sheets of paper.

Education and Early Work

In high school, John wrote short stories that were published in his school’s literary magazine. His love for storytelling led him to study writing and psychology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Later, he pursued advanced degrees in experimental psychology at the University of Memphis.

Professional Career

John began his professional journey as a learning analytics consultant with the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. For more than 25 years, he has worked with organizations to measure the effectiveness of their training programs. Throughout his career, he has written and published dozens of articles as well as two business books: Predictive Analytics for Human Resources and Learning Analytics (1st and 2nd Editions).

Fiction: Thirteen Brother Pirates

John’s series Thirteen Brother Pirates tells the story of teens coming of age during the American Revolutionary War. The idea was sparked by an off-hand comment from his wife, who suggested he write a book about “good pirates for the kids.” John replied, “There is no such thing as good pirates,” and from that moment, the seeds of a character-driven plot began to take root.

Personal Life

John lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife, their three children, and a very lazy golden retriever.