Brad Reynolds, S.J. is a Jesuit priest at Portland, Oregon, where he served as the executive assistant to the Provincial for the Jesuits. Like his creation Father Mark Townsend, he used to live in Alaska, and writes about native life there with real understanding. He is the author of the four books, and has had over 300 articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including National Geographic, America, Alaska and American Scholar. These are often illustrated by his own photographs. In Fall 2006 he was artist-in-residence at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. His work for National Geographic helped form the basis for his first book, The Story Knife. He has described himself as "introvert and melancholic".