A GRUE OF ICE

Geoffrey Ernest Jenkins ( June 16th, 1920 - November 7th, 2001 ) was either born in Port Elizabeth ( present day Eastern Cape, South Africa ) or Pretoria ( present day Gauteng, South Africa ). At the age of 17, he wrote and had published A Century of History, which received a special eulogy from Lieutenant General Jan C. Smuts ( 1870 - 1950 ) at the Potchefstroom centenary celebrations. The General also wrote the book's introduction. 

Geoffrey Jenkins subsequently won the Lord Kemsley Commonwealth Journalistic Scholarship, which took him to Fleet Street ( London, England ), where he spent the Second Word War as a war correspondent. While working for the Sunday Times, he became friends with author Ian Fleming ( 1908 - 1964 ), creator of the British secret agent James Bond. 

After the war, Geoffrey Jenkins settled in Rhodesia, where he met his wife, author Eve Palmer ( 1916 - 1998 ). He was briefly editor of the newspaper The Umtali Advertiser, then became a reporter at The Star newspaper in Johannesburg ( present day Gauteng, South Africa ). While working for The Star, he wrote his first novel, A Twist of Sand ( 1959 ), which was subsequently translated into 23 languages and became a motion picture in 1968. 

After Ian Fleming's death, Glidrose Productions commissioned Geoffrey Jenkins to write a James Bond novel in 1966. After a long period of negotiation, during which Ann Fleming ( Ian's widow ) raised several objections to the idea of a continuation novel, Geoffrey Jenkins finished the manuscript for Glidrose entitled Per Fine Ounce, but it was rejected. 

Geoffrey Jenkins did colour photography for his wife's non - fiction work Trees of Southern Africa ( 1972 ). He published his final novel, A Daystar of Fear, in 1993. 

( source : Wikipedia )