Biography

I was born and raised in Somerset, in the South West of England. After leaving school I packed my bags for the University of Exeter where I rigorously studied Computer Science, beer and multi-player shoot ‘em ups – one of which I have since grown out of. On finishing my degree I started work in the defence industry where I went on to become a Software Architect, developing various information and communications systems for our boys in camouflage to play with. It was at this point, moving in classified circles as I was, that I was approached by a government intelligence agent, who contracted me to author a novel with the purpose of surreptitiously slipping carefully selected military ‘secrets’ into the public domain.

Some of the above is not true.

The nascent beginnings of my writing exploits began many years before. Whilst other children were busy doing … well I don’t know what they were busy doing … I closetted myself away in front of the monochrome glow of a very early PC, to cut my literary milk-tooth on short sci-fi stories. Later, in more formative years, I realized there was no market for short fiction, except for in women’s magazines, which wasn’t really suited to my style of fiction. There was only so many good stories I could write about knitting (supernatural knitting maybe, but knitting all the same). So, with this revelation, there was only one thing for it. I sat down and started to write a novel, whilst my friends busily arranged the social life I claimed I was too busy to pursue. The result, many months later, was The Turning. And the rest is a rather long story reserved for another time.

Suffice it to say that my second novel, Altered States, came into being a few years later, in 2010, and against my better judgement I have now finished my third, Making a Mark, and am working on a forth.

Manifesto

I’ve always kind of believed that a novel should be, well, novel.

A book should have something to say that is original and unique. It should prompt the reader to think about something completely new to them. It should not flirt with clichés. It should not philander with the trite, hackneyed or banal.

I don’t write for a market. I don’t slot into a genre. I just try to write books that have something to say, to tell stories that haven’t yet been told. I use science that is real. I present theories that aim to inspire. Theories that could just be true…

Maybe you’d like to hear some?