I live on the beautiful Gower Peninsula in Wales with my very supportive wife, two somewhat feral children, and a growing menagerie of animals. I write speculative fiction but only at night in the few hours between my children going to bed and before I collapse from exhaustion.
My love of science fiction and fantasy goes back further than I can remember. Starting with The NeverEnding Story, which I watched so many times as a toddler I wore out the video, to my family’s Christmas tradition of watching the original Star Wars trilogy back to back, and then discovering The Hobbit on a caravan holiday as a teenager and reading it, utterly mesmerised, in one sitting. I hope one of my stories will equally enthral a reader and make them fall in love with fantastical characters that, currently, only exist in my head.
I always dreamed of becoming a writer, but pursuing a career in law and the long hours that entailed, as well as the fear of being ridiculed, acted as excuses for me not to follow those dreams. Then, when my children were born, I realised I could hardly tell them to pursue their dreams if I hadn’t done so myself. That moment of realisation marked a turning point. No longer would I just dream, I would write.
And I am so glad that I did! I worked hard on my craft and slowly but surely improved and I can now say that I am a winner of the Writers of the Future contest. Not only that, but Volume 41, which features my winning story “The Stench of Freedom”, was a #1 Amazon bestseller (paperback) and a Top 10 Amazon bestseller in all three formats (paperback, ebook and audiobook). I’d like to think my personal journey goes to show that if you have a dream, go and chase it. It never know, it may just come true.
If you want to know more about me and what’s inspired me to write, then I think you’d like these blog posts: