Ken Tipton is a serial entrepreneur, author, composer, screenwriter, award-winning filmmaker, and Air Force veteran whose life has taken him from building unconventional businesses and producing films to confronting a childhood history he kept largely buried for decades.
His memoir, Lost Valley – Lost Innocence, tells the true story of Tipton and his best friend, Greg Connor, who were groomed and sexually exploited as boys through a network connected to their experiences in Scouting during the 1960s. Told with candor, emotional honesty, and unexpected humor, the book examines childhood abuse, institutional betrayal, friendship, survival, and the consequences that can follow victims long after the abuse itself has ended.
Tipton has spent much of his life creating—building businesses, developing film and television projects, writing screenplays, and telling stories drawn from extraordinary experiences. In his seventies, he turned that storytelling toward the most difficult subject of all: his own past.
Through Lost Valley – Lost Innocence, Tipton hopes not only to document what happened, but also to give voice to survivors who spent years or decades believing that silence was their only option.
He lives in California with his wife, Darlene, and continues to write and develop new creative projects.
Ken’s latest book is Lost Valley – Lost Innocence.
Visit his website at https://lostvalleybook.com/.
Connect with him on social media at:
╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LostValleyFilm
╰┈➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostvalleybook
╰┈➤ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ken-tipton
╰┈➤ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lostvalleybook
╰┈➤Substack: https://lostvalleybook.substack.com/
Why did you decide to write Lost Valley Lost Innocence? Did the inspiration come at a particular moment or had you been planning to write the book for a while and couldn’t decide whether to publish it or not?
There were several turning points. I began writing in 1988 after the St. Louis Boy Scout Council rejected my proposal to speak with Scouts about recognizing grooming. I wanted to tell what had happened to Greg Connor and me, but I initially intended the book to be released only after my death. Later, frightened about how it might affect my family, I destroyed that manuscript.
In November 2010, Oprah’s two-episode program featuring 200 male survivors, including Tyler Perry’s testimony, inspired me to write it again. The Boy Scouts bankruptcy and the more than 82,000 abuse claims eventually pushed me to seek publication during my lifetime.
I wanted other survivors to feel less alone and to understand that the shame belonged to the adults who exploited us. I also wanted readers to know Greg and the friendship at the heart of our story.
From the time you started writing Lost Valley Lost Innocence, how long did it take to get it out there? Any obstacles along the way or none that you can think of?
From the first attempt in 1988 to publication in 2026, the journey stretched across about 38 years. That included long periods of silence, the destruction of the first manuscript, and a complete rewrite.
The rewrite after Oprah’s 2010 programs involved months of crying, getting angry, stopping, and starting again. My wife, Darlene, supported me through that process.
The biggest obstacles were emotional. I was afraid of what my children and grandchildren might think of me. I also had to explain feelings that can be difficult to understand, including a child’s attachment to an adult who is exploiting him. Finishing a manuscript and finding the courage to make it public were separate milestones.
What are some of the positive results or responses you have received since publishing your book?
One reader’s review moved me to tears. They recognized the importance of the friendship between Greg and me and wrote thoughtfully about how the book confronts abuse and institutional betrayal without sensationalizing it.
That response meant a great deal because I wanted readers to see the boys we were and understand what our friendship meant. Knowing that a reader had connected with that part of the story was deeply encouraging.
I’ve also run a Goodreads giveaway for 22 signed copies and encouraged readers to post honest reviews if they believe the book has merit. I value a careful, articulate response from someone who has really engaged with the story.
List three interesting facts about your book.
1. From 1964 to 1964, my best friend, Greg Connor, and I were groomed and sexually exploited as child prostitutes in an international pedophile ring run through the Boy Scouts of America.
Here is an explanation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkRd-EEqNk&t=27s
2. Humor is part of the book. Childhood mischief and the laughter Greg and I shared sit alongside the painful memories because those experiences existed together in our lives.
3. The book includes dedications to Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and fellow abused Boy Scouts. Seeing male survivors speak publicly helped me find the courage to write again.
List three interesting facts about yourself.
1. I served in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 to 1975 and worked on aircraft navigation, identification and communications equipement.
2. I wrote and directed the independent feature Heart of the Beholder, inspired by my family’s experience fighting censorship over Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ.
3. My four mentors were Dawn Steel, John Candy, Robert Wise, and Tom Pollock. Their advice has been an important part of my life and work.
How can our readers reach out to you?
Readers can email me at ken@lostvalleybook.com or visit LostValleyBook.com to learn more about the memoir and find purchase links. I welcome thoughtful questions and hearing what the story meant to them.
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