J. A. Nunn was born in Pasadena, California. He earned a BA in literature at a small Baptist college in a small town east of Los Angeles and later won a full fellowship in literature at Southern Illinois University. After returning to California, and teaching in Coachella, Monterey, Glendale, and Los Angeles, Nunn accepted a teaching position in Tokyo. He later switched to marketing and was ultimately appointed as the Japan-based trade representative for the State of Washington. Currently Nunn lives in Seattle, making ever more memories with his wife of forty-plus years.