Little is known of the early years of Ernst, other than he seems to have been well-traveled. He began writing during the 1920's for the pulp-fiction magazines, with his first story, The Temple of Serpents, appearing in Weird Tales in 1928. By the 1930's, he had become a full-time author. Using the house pseudonym of Kenneth Robeson (previously used by Lester Dent of Doc Savage fame), Ernst wrote the lead novels for the Avenger magazine from 1939 to 1942. After the war, he turned to more traditional magazines, such as the Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping and his fantasy/science fiction output declined. By the late 1970's, he was living the life of a recluse in Florida. His works include A Witch's Curse (1929), The Golden Elixir (1931), Dread Exile (1932), The Iron Man (1933), The Illusion of Flame (1934), Rulers of the Future (1935), Doctor Satan (1935), The Thing in the Trunk (1938) and Outbound (1945). |
