Who am I?

Though born to middle-class parents in middle-England, I've always been a bit odd. Growing up in a house with no books, I relied on a combination of imagination and television to get my fix of strange stories, rejecting girls' comics in favour of Dr Who novels, and refusing to go to Brownies because it clashed with Star Trek.

I wrote my first 'novel' at seven, typing it on my father's typewriter and illustrating it in felt tip pen. It wasn't SF, but it did feature characters having an improbably difficult time. Aged nine I found a copy of 'A Wizard of Earthsea' in a gift shop, and discovered the world of fantastical literature. When, aged eleven, I realised I really wasn't going to be a ballerina, I decided to be a writer of unlikely stories instead.

As is often the case, this proved easier said than done. I've let myself get distracted by the irritating need to earn a living and other, less arduous, paths to fulfilment. Over the years I have supported my writing habit through various means, including life modelling, computer consultancy and running a charity shop. The present 'day job' involves sending engineers and equipment round the world for a company that uses electricity to fight the forces of entropy. It's pleasant enough and only takes up the mornings, leaving afternoons free to write in my garret.

I met and married the love of my life at college. We remain stubbornly in love and have forgone having children in favour of not growing up ourselves. Though everything in the world is secondary to stories and love, other things that ease the trials of everyday life for me include: wild, green places; dancing like nobody's watching; serious chocolate; fortean phenomena; living like a medieval peasant on summer weekends; friendship; live music and good books.

What is Speculative Fiction?

Speculative fiction is one of those nebulous terms that everyone defines differently. You could say speculative fiction stories are those that haven't happened yet and might never happen if we limit ourselves to the known rules of our reality. A narrower view might say it's science fiction where some or all of the science has been replaced with less constraining elements, such as magic, horror or unexplained weirdness. I just say 'SF' for short.