Ken Cuthbertson has been writing – and learning to do so – most of his life; the process continues. He began work on his first book 30 years ago. At that time, he was employed full-time as the editor of the Queen’s University alumni magazine. Back then, Ken wrote from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. each weekday and for many hours as he could muster on weekends, while also his utmost to spend time with his wife and their three young  daughters. Progress on Ken's first book was slow, but steady and productive. The book was shortlisted for Governor General's Literary Award in the Non-Fiction category. Ken plugged away at his writing until his 2014 retirement from Queen’s. That's when he then began writing full-time, more or less. No more 5 a .m. rising time. Blood on the Coal is Ken’s seventh book – to go with three biographies, two books of Canadian history, and a whimsical Canadian historical novel.