About the Authors
Charles G. Irion is a publisher, author, adventurer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. In the 1970s, Irion began his career in commercial real estate development and brokerage. In 1983, he founded U.S. Park Investments, a company that owns and brokers manufactured home and RV communities. Over the years, Irion has garnered a large collection of recipes from resident RV campers. More than 350 of these can be found in his book, Roadkill Cooking for Campers: The Best Dang Wild Game Cookbook in the World.
In 2007, Irion founded Irion Books LLC and began writing and publishing books. His first volume was Remodeling Hell—one of four books he authored as part of the Hell Series. This was followed by Autograph Hell, Car Dealer Hell, and Divorce Hell. Inspired by real-life events, these books are true stories created by actual (hellish) events that infuriated Irion to the point of wanting to expose the demons through his writings and to guide others on how to avoid the same ‘Hell’ he experienced. He is donating all of the net proceeds of his Hell Series to victims of fraud.
While writing the Hell Series, Irion began work on the Summit Murder Mystery series. The impetus behind the murder mystery series was his participation in a 1987 expedition to Mount Everest from the China side. Irion couldn’t resist creating plot-twisting, adventure-filled stories against the backdrop of the Seven Summits, the highest and deadest mountains on the world’s seven continents. In June of 2011, Irion joined a climbing expedition to Kilimanjaro. The trip included a medical mission with the K2 Adventures Foundation, a non-profit organization and one of Irion’s philanthropic endeavors.
He also supports other humanitarian-relief organizations, such as Project C.U.R.E. and Healing the Children. Recently he traveled to Belize and Cuba with Project C.U.R.E. on Philanthro Travel missions.
Charles Irion holds a Masters of Business Administration in International Marketing and Finance from the American Graduate School of International Management, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Biology and Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
As an explorer, Irion has visited more than 60 countries and is an accomplished SCUBA diver. He is also the founder of a children’s dictionary charity, an advisory board member for Project C.U.R.E., founding member of Phoenix Social Venture Partners, is involved in Lions Club International, and is a past treasurer of the Lions Club Sight & Hearing Foundation. Irion lives in Arizona.
To learn more about Charles Irion, please visit: www.CharlesIrion.com
Ronald J. Watkins is an American writer of novels and nonfiction. Watkins has also served as co-author, collaborator, or editor for more than thirty books. He is the founder and principal writer for Watkins & Associates. In 1993, Watkins published Birthright, the saga of the Shoen family, which founded and owned U-Haul International and of the then-unsolved murder of Eva Shoen. When he refused to identify his sources under subpoena, he was twice found in contempt by a federal court, with his position being upheld by the Ninth Circuit on both occasions.
These established case law sustaining the right of authors of nonfiction books to refuse to identify either confidential or non-confidential sources. For Watkins’ defense of the First Amendment, he was recognized as a finalist for the PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award.
Watkins’ first book, High Crimes and Misdemeanors, was an account of the impeachment of Arizona governor Evan Mecham. Written just one year after the events and based on hundreds of interviews with participants, it remains the definitive account of an American impeachment.
He then authored Evil Intentions, the story of the brutal murder of Suzanne Rossetti in Phoenix, Arizona. It was followed a few years later by Against Her Will, the story of the murder of Kelly Tinyes in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York. This was the first murder case in the State of New York solved in large part by DNA testing.
In 2003, John Murray (UK) published Watkins’ book, Unknown Seas: How Vasco da Gama Opened the East. The following year, Watkins was nominated for the Mountbatten Maritime Prize in the United Kingdom. The book has since been published in Portuguese in Brazil and in Czech in the Czech Republic.
Watkins is co-author, with Charles G. Irion, of the Summit Murder Mystery series, novels set on the highest mountains in the world. In all, the series is projected to include seven books, plus a prequel book titled Abandoned on Everest. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Science in Justice Studies. Following university, he worked as a probation officer and presentencing investigator for the Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a former chief administrative law judge and was assistant director of the Arizona Department of Insurance, where he served as Arizona’s chief insurance fraud investigator.
Watkins has been called on by the media and has made a number of television and radio appearances, including Dominick Dunne’s Power, Privilege, and Justice; PrimeTime! with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric; Under Scrutiny with Jane Wallace; Geraldo with Geraldo Rivera, and American Forum national radio program.
To learn more about Ronald J. Watkins, please visit: www.RonaldjWatkins.com