The writer, Alexander Macdonald was born in a remote part of North West Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland and in common with his contemporaries received his secondary education at Dornoch Academy on the east coast of the county.
His adult life was spent initially as a short-term regular soldier, serving three years in the Royal Military Police during which time he was posted to Japan, Korea and Malaya
He joined the then Sutherland Constabulary and served for thirty-three years firstly in his native county and later in the wider Highland area covered by the Northern Constabulary. For a further nine years he, was the Force Radio Sites Manager, administering some eighty hilltop and other radio sites which formed its communications network throughout the Highlands and Islands. He has long since retired and has lived in Inverness since 1981.