At the age of six, John Tate?s mom, Mary Reagan Tate, began tutoring John in the art of storytelling. John won first place in a storytelling contest in the second grade. John grew up in Oklahoma, Arizona, and California. In 1962, John entered the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1965. John enjoys music, fiction writing, travel, and poetry. While Strings is the third writing he has completed, it is the first he has published.