Stephen Reardon (Steve to friends) was born in High Barnet, England, in 1947, where he attended Cromer Road primary school and Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School before taking a degree from London University at the then Kingston College of Technology in 1968.

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At Kingston he spent so much of his time editing the award-winning student news magazine, Facet, that graduating at all came as a bit of a surprise. Most importantly, he also met Jane there, his wife of more than fifty years. Stephen subsequently made his career in Whitehall, the British seat of government, becoming press secretary to three successive cabinet ministers, and Communications Director in a major Government Department. He had already worked closely in a number of government departments with ministers in the Heath, Wilson and Callaghan governments, before those of Margaret Thatcher and then John Major. He parted company with Whitehall very shortly after the 1997 general election, becoming Director of Communications at the Institute of Directors for the next three years. Following that, Stephen took up writing for himself rather than for other people.

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His first novel, The Equal Sky, was published independently through Lulu in 2007 and The Middle Room in 2009. Madame Lamartine's Journey was completed in 2014 and published the following year.

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A Garden Party for the Dead followed in 2018 in time for the centenary of the ending of the Great War and now his latest Illusions in Blue in 2024.

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Their son, Ben, is a company director, Channel swimmer, and husband of the successful novelist Kate Thompson. Stephen and Jane's daughter, Iona, is the founder and director of PA Gold.

 

They have two grandsons, Ronnie and Stanley, Ben and Kate's boys, and a granddaughter, Romy, Iona and her partner's daughter. Stephen and Jane live in Twickenham in South West London.