Publius Vergilius Maro (Classical Latin: [ˈpuː.blɪ.ʊs wɛrˈɡɪ.lɪ.ʊs ˈma.roː]; October 15, 70 BC – September 21, 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil /ˈvɜːrdʒᵻl/ in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues (or Bucolics), the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid. A number of minor poems, collected in the Appendix Vergiliana, are sometimes attributed to him.

Virgil is traditionally ranked as one of Rome's greatest poets. His Aeneid has been considered the national epic of ancient Rome from the time of its composition to the present day. Modeled after Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the Aeneid follows the Trojan refugee Aeneas as he struggles to fulfill his destiny and arrive on the shores of Italy—in Roman mythology the founding act of Rome. Virgil's work has had wide and deep influence on Western literature, most notably Dante's Divine Comedy, in which Virgil appears as Dante's guide through hell and purgatory.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by unknown author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Kenneth (Ken) J. Mattern was born in 1949 and raised in rural central Pennsylvania and lived and worked there through the mid-90s, when he moved to Alabama. Though fictional, the towns and villages in his books reflect his memories and experiences of his youth and are based on real locations. In his twenties he married the farmer’s daughter and they raised two children. He and his small family spent much time at his father-in-law’s dairy farm. There Ken learned much about farming and farm life which is reflected in his first book, Fancy.

His interest in writing has been life-long. As a child he wrote stories on cigarette papers and graduated to tablets as he grew older. As an adult he published short stories in local magazines and began to write plays for local church productions. He owned his own electronics business, manufacturing diagnostic tools for chiropractors and published articles in chiropractic magazines. Closing his business in the mid 1980s he became a computer programmer, which he was until his retirement.

In his mid forties Ken moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to work for the Department of Defense. At that time he began to write Fancy, his first novel. He also joined the Huntsville Fiction Writers Group to help hone his skills. In doing so he rewrote and edited Fancy. As a software developer for the Pocket PC he became a contributing writer for Pocket PC magazine.

Ken lives alone in Huntsville, Alabama and spends his spare time writing, reading and model railroading. His grown daughter and son, along with four beautiful grandchildren, still live near his original home in Pennsylvania. Currently he has published three novels and is researching his next project.