James Matthew Reynolds—known to those around him as Matt—was born in Birmingham and raised in Blount County, Alabama. Matt discovered his passion for writing in high school when his English teacher, Mr. Beavers (now Dr. Beavers), famously made him rewrite a paper three times, pushing him to realize his full potential. He later earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from AMU while serving in the U.S. Army. As a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in Mosul, Iraq. Today, Matt lives on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, where he balances his love for storytelling and local history with family life alongside his wife and children.