Creative writing wasn’t my first career path. Here’s my story of how I came to be a novelist.
Beginnings and First Career
I originate from Teesside and gained a PhD in Materials Science from Leeds University. For the next twenty-five years, I worked as a Materials Specialist at Rolls-Royce. After a career built around technical writing, I turned my attention to writing fiction. I set about converting my skills through reading lots of novels and writing semiautobiographical short stories, a few of which have been published.
Novels
One of the challenges in writing a novel is coming up with a premise. Happily, this was solved for my debut novel when I had a dream where I found myself having an out-of-body experience whilst my body carried on without me and Out of Humanity was born. I set out to write a story that is uplifting, romantic and moving. After two years, countless rewrites and edits, I hope I’ve achieved my aim.
My finished novel Out of Humanity is an adventure of new beginnings and romance. Set in modern day Nottingham, the Castle Museum is its spiritual centre. Paperback and eBook formats are available from amazon.co.uk.
I write somewhere between Romantic Mystery and Fantasy & Science Fiction. If you’re looking for a genre-crossing romance story that’s different from the mainstream, Out of Humanity might be for you.
My second novel, The Ironstone Bible, is more towards a Romantic Mystery and is set in the North Yorkshire Moors. The premise is drawn from a ghostly encounter of my very own and a family connection to the ironstone mining that took place in the moors. The Ironstone Bible was published in October 2024.
I am writing my third novel, The Return Policy, which is back to a high-concept premise not unlike that of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The tagline: When Frank receives sad news about an old friend he wonders what might have been…someone must have heard. I am aiming to publish in October 2025.
When I’m Not Writing
I live in Toton, Nottingham with my wife, two children and Cocker Spaniel. I enjoy running slowly, searching for balls when I play golf and visiting historic places throughout the UK.
