Ronald E. Yates is a multi-award-winning author of historical fiction and action/adventure novels, including the popular and award-winning Finding Billy Battles trilogy. His extraordinarily historically accurate books have captivated fans from around the world who applaud his ability to blend fact and fiction.Ron is a former foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Illinois where he was also the Dean of the College of Media.His award-winning book, "The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles," is the second in his Finding Billy Battles trilogy of novels and was published in June 2016. The first book in the trilogy, "Finding Billy Battles," was published in 2014. Book #3 in the trilogy (The Lost Years of Billy Battles) was published in June 2018 and was named Best Book of the Year by Chanticleer International Book Awards. Ron has been a presenting author at the Kansas Book Festival, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and the San Diego Festival of Books among other venues. He is a speaker on several topics, from writing and journalism to international affairs, business, and war correspondence. He is also the author of The Kikkoman Chronicles: A Global Company with A Japanese Soul, published by McGraw-Hill. Other books include three journalism textbooks.His work as a war correspondent resulted in several awards, including the Inter-American Press Association's Tom Wallace Award for coverage of Central and South America; the Peter Lisagor Award from the Society of Professional Journalists; three Edward Scott Beck Awards for International Reporting, and three Pulitzer nominations. Ron covered wars in Cambodia and Vietnam, including the fall of Phnom Penh and Saigon. He also covered revolution and political unrest in China, The Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Specialties: International and Global Media issues; international business; security issues; domestic and international news media.