Don Atkinson was born and raised in the southern tip of Ontario, Canada, which, the local inhabitants like to remind us, is farther south than northern California. As a young man he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, serving for twenty years, mostly with the Security Service--forerunner to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). This was at the height of the Cold War. From the RCMP he went to Revenue Canada where he held a senior position with Customs Intelligence before going on to head up the department's Internal Affairs Division.
After retiring in 1986, he formed his own security consulting business which brought him a contract with the government to work with its task force on counter terrorism.
By this time he had been writing articles and short stories for about ten years. In 1995, his first novel, Nations Within, was published by Centurion Books. In 1997 one of his stories, "Rapture," was included in an anthology published by General Store Publishing House. His second novel, Haudenosaunnee, is available both on and off-line through the Chapters-Indigo chain, www.amazon.com, www.trafford.com. and from Pearald Books, Alliston, Ont. (datkin@cyberus.ca). Don's third novel,A Matter of Family, has just been published by BAICO Publishing.
Don is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada and the Ottawa Independent Writers.
Don Atkinson lives in Alliston with his wife, an accomplished artist. They both enjoy travelling, especially to places by clear, warm seas. Don is a licensed Scuba diver.