Me, My Life, and Related Misadventures
A Brief Bio
I was born on Christmas Day, 1969, in the town of Sunderland in Northeast England. Attended South Hylton Primary School then Pennywell Comprehensive School.
I studied 'A' levels at Monkwearmouth College of Further Education during which time I met certain people who changed my life. One of them was my future wife Helen. After college I studied Electrical & Electronic Engineering and the Education (Physics) at the University of Sunderland.
Above right is 'That Photo' of me that keeps on turning up. Might as well use it here - it's everywhere else! So, to the right is me, circa 1999, at the University of Sunderland Fencing Club.
In the interim I’ve had various jobs. I've been a computer games designer, a teacher, a non-computer games designer, a defence analyst, a technical journalist, freelance author, editor and similar things, and I suppose I can claim to have worked as a semi-professional sports coach as well.
However, my intent was always to be a writer. My first book contract was offered in 1993 or '94, but the prospective publisher met disaster before we could go to press. My second contract was offered in 1996 and actually got published. I was able to turn professional in 1999 and have been a full-time writer ever since.
My writing career has led to some unusual places, including a stint as a writer/editor/odd-job-person for the SMi group which led to me speaking at, chairing and even organizing international defence conferences. I once ‘phoned the Belgian Ministry of Defence… and it was shut. Thereby hangs a tale…
I mainly write non-fiction, primarily military history, but I’m more hack than historian so I’ll write whatever is paying. My books cover topics as diverse as space travel and motorcycles, ancient warfare and modern self-defence as well as software manuals, technical writing, magazine work and, most recently, research/episode writing for television. And then there’s the fiction. Mainly military SF but also some fantasy and other genres.
I was born on Christmas Day, 1969, in the town of Sunderland in Northeast England. Attended South Hylton Primary School then Pennywell Comprehensive School.
I studied 'A' levels at Monkwearmouth College of Further Education during which time I met certain people who changed my life. One of them was my future wife Helen. After college I studied Electrical & Electronic Engineering and the Education (Physics) at the University of Sunderland.
Above right is 'That Photo' of me that keeps on turning up. Might as well use it here - it's everywhere else! So, to the right is me, circa 1999, at the University of Sunderland Fencing Club.
In the interim I’ve had various jobs. I've been a computer games designer, a teacher, a non-computer games designer, a defence analyst, a technical journalist, freelance author, editor and similar things, and I suppose I can claim to have worked as a semi-professional sports coach as well.
However, my intent was always to be a writer. My first book contract was offered in 1993 or '94, but the prospective publisher met disaster before we could go to press. My second contract was offered in 1996 and actually got published. I was able to turn professional in 1999 and have been a full-time writer ever since.
My writing career has led to some unusual places, including a stint as a writer/editor/odd-job-person for the SMi group which led to me speaking at, chairing and even organizing international defence conferences. I once ‘phoned the Belgian Ministry of Defence… and it was shut. Thereby hangs a tale…
I mainly write non-fiction, primarily military history, but I’m more hack than historian so I’ll write whatever is paying. My books cover topics as diverse as space travel and motorcycles, ancient warfare and modern self-defence as well as software manuals, technical writing, magazine work and, most recently, research/episode writing for television. And then there’s the fiction. Mainly military SF but also some fantasy and other genres.
This is Penshaw Monument, close to where I live. The photo was taken looking generally north from the road beside the nice cake and coffee shop, which is now also the site of a 'bloody posh butchers'. Their Penshaw Piglet sausages are really quite good.
You may note the blue area above the monument. I'm told that's called 'sky'. We don't see a lot of it for much of the year...
You may note the blue area above the monument. I'm told that's called 'sky'. We don't see a lot of it for much of the year...