I’m J.B. Reynolds, writer of humorous fiction in which tragedy meets comedy and character reigns supreme.
I love reading and always dreamed of writing my own books. My first short story, The Art of Cigarette Smoking, was published when I was a student at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.
After that, I spent years continuing to dream of writing while I travelled and worked various jobs in New Zealand, Canada and Australia, before returning to my home town of Whangarei in Northland, New Zealand, to raise children and chickens.
In 2012, after the GFC inspired a career change, I began teaching at the Northland high-school where I’m currently employed as HoD of Media Studies.
In January of 2016, I finally began work on turning my writing dream into a reality. I had an idea for a novel, but with young children and a demanding job, I decided the only way I was ever going to get time to write seriously was if I got up at 5.00am and wrote for an hour or so while the family were still asleep, before I left for work.
I placed my phone on the dresser rather than the bedside table. That way, when my alarm went off at 5.00am, I would have to get out of bed to turn it off. It seemed such a simple thing, but it made all the difference. Before, I always, always hit ‘Snooze’. Now I don’t. Once I’m out of bed, it’s only a short stumble down the hall to the kitchen and the coffee plunger.
In March of 2016, a conversation with my cousin at a family barbecue became the inspiration for me to publish some short stories as eBooks on Amazon. I put my novel on the backburner and began working on my Crossing The Divide short story series. Book 1, The Golden Cockroach, Book 2, Riding Shotgun, Book 3, Square Pegs, and Book 4, What Friends Are For, are available at selected eBook stores.
In May of 2017, I began working on another novel, developing an idea that sprung from the world of my short stories and which shares some of the same characters. Taking The Plunge was published on October 12th 2019. You can read the opening chapters here.
My reading tastes tend towards humour, sci-fi, and fantasy, with a dash of romance. Some of my favourite authors are Iain M. Banks, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Janet Evanovich.
I’m married and live in the country with my wife, our children and our chickens. We have a large garden, and we love to eat the things that grow in it (or at least we love to eat what the chickens don’t eat first). On the rare occasions I get a chance to relax, I like to go sailing and cycling (but not simultaneously). I also enjoy playing music, both on the stereo and on my guitar. Sometimes, I’m even allowed to.
That’s enough about me, at least for now. Thanks for visiting. I’d love to hear from you, so if you have any questions or comments, or if you just want to say hello, you can use the services below to connect with me.
Email: jody@jbreynolds.net
FREE BOOK!
A gritty and engaging story of human faults, fears, and frailty, What Friends Are For is the prequel to my first novel, Taking the Plunge. Introduce yourself to the characters from the novel and find out where it all begins for Kate, Tracy, Evan, and Lawrence.