Bryon's fond memories of his childhood are incorporated into these novels.
Raised in a small town in IL. he spent a great deal of time working on his grandparent's farm. His grandpa John Smith was a veterinarian so Bryon worked with all kinds of farm animals.
From mowing the yard, feeding and watering the animals, to gathering the eggs he did it all as a youth. At 12 years of age he was riding a tractor working in the fields from before sunrise until after dark.
His grandparents helped build the little Church of Christ at Greenpond, IL and their names can still be found in the walkway leading to the church. This church later changed its name to "Greenpond Church." This small farming community was the basis for Peaceful Pond in the Megan Martin and Ember Reign novels.
In the novels the Martin farm is located where the Smith farm was. The real house was a single story with an outhouse. The Martin house was changed to a three story for the purpose of the novel plot. The chicken shed, the barn, the hog lots and fields including the pond in the middle of the south 40 are all based on the original location. The farm at the far south of the Smith farm had previously been the old Sidwell farm, also mentioned as locations in the novels including the stream that flowed through it.
Bryon was fascinated with electronics, S.C.U.B.A. diving and flying at a young age and became a certified diver then later a licensed pilot, as well as a HAM radio operator.
Despite the fact he had been told there are no such thing as ghosts, Bryon and his sister Gina grew up in a haunted house. Their rooms were upstairs. At any given time of the day or night latched doors would inexplicably open and close. Footsteps were frequently heard going up and down the wooden stairs.
They had also been told there is no such thing as a UFO or alien beings but in 1970 about 11:30PM, he and a friend had a very close encounter with a hovering 30' glowing disk. He came to realize he had been taught things that were clearly not correct so he set out to find the truth on his own. From that time until now he has investigated the paranormal and UFO related fields, sometimes working with well known investigators such as Bill Pitts. He's done interviews with many others including Frank Kauffman and Glen Dennis who were involved in the Roswell crashes in July 1947. While working with Bill Pitts of the New Project Blue Book he investigated the mass UFO sightings of small black triangular craft sighted in and around Miami, OK.
Bryon worked in electronics, fixing radios, building towers, and working as an assistant to the manager of John the Diver shop #3 for about 3 years then moved from Joplin, MO to the Lake of the Ozarks where he ran a small C.B. radio shop near Linn Creek, MO. He met the young lady he would eventually marry while working at that CB shop. They moved from there to Fort Smith, AR. where he worked for B.&T. Coal loading barges. She worked as a computer programmer.
Their first home in Fort Smith was so haunted no one could live there but they were not aware of full details of the situation until after they had bought the house. This house made the one he grew up in seem tame. Things would turn off and on, doors would open and close at all hours of the day. He set out to find out what was causing it, and he did, that story and the UFO stories can be found on one of his websites...
Spooky Places. He resolved that problem, the house is quiet now but he knew without a shadow of a doubt there are things that exist unseen around us without most being aware of it.