James Malone

James Malone took a winding but interesting road to the destination of Rainbow Gardens.

He has had a long career in writing, from senior writer at a mid-size advertising agency to senior communications and public affairs positions in federal and state agencies. His body of work includes award-winning ads, countless news releases and op-eds, as well as speeches and position papers.

The inspiration for Rainbow Gardens was born many years ago, but as its scope grew, James realized that the time required for researching and writing would be a full time job—something that he already had. The outline and first chapters languished in his file cabinet for some 10 years, and then along came the Internet, which opened vast new vistas for research.

The son of a career U.S. Navy officer and a Vietnam Era veteran himself, James is a child of the Cold War. He grew up in cities around the world, including New York, San Diego, Yokohama, London, Paris and Stuttgart. He attended three high schools, graduating from Stuttgart American High School, and earned a B.A. at Alfred University in western New York.

He has moved often since then, always followed by trunk loads of his favorite books; years ago he began collecting first editions with the notion of going into the book-selling business when he retired; but in his heart he is a collector, not a seller. The result is that he is constantly looking for a new shelf to store his growing collection of Civil War, contemporary fiction and history volumes.

His other interests include soccer, which he learned from the English neighbor kids when he lived in London. He was also a competitive sailor for a number of years, racing a 20 foot C-Scow, an inland lakes boat. These days he’s happy just to get on the water every now and then.

He currently resides in Wisconsin with his wife and two daughters, who take turns trying to teach him the Zen of Volleyball.