Well, I'm not going to recycle the author blurb that is written in the book with the rather cheesy mug shot that is used in the books as well! And I'm pretty sure that Hugo Boss aren't going to be ringing the phone off the hook for me to feature in their next advert. Especially as I have the look of baby that's just unloaded a large present in my pampers looking particularly pleased with myself (you'll have to buy a book to see what I mean!). You know you're on to a losing battle when the only good photo of yourself is one that's been taken professionally as all of the normal snaps seem to make you look like you've just got out of bed after a very long night on the sauce having fought through hedges to get there.
I'm 35 years old and live in Hertfordshire with my wonderful wife, Stephanie. Time seems to be flying by and I'm wondering where my youth has gone. Grey hairs are starting to grow horizontally out of the sides of my head making them even more prominent, why? It's almost as if they are purposefully making their presence known. Other give away signs of my ebbing youth is the odd creaking joint when moving and the onset of groaning when bending or getting up from the sofa. I still don't like beige as a colour and that must be a good sign, but worryingly I like brown and hessian colours which we're using as a colour scheme for the house. All I have to do is trip over the fine line between the two, land in my 40's and before you know it I’ll be dressed in beige slacks wearing a beige cardigan decorated with brown diamond shapes on the front. The prognosis isn't good.
Outside of all that I’m a self confessed geek. Gimme a computer and I’ll do graphics, web sites, wireless networking, the lot. There isn’t much I can’t do with a PC, I’ve even written viruses in my time (nope, never done anything with them other than wrecking some old lap tops of mine to see if they work!). I do all this just to see whether I can – sometimes I even make a bit of money from doing web sites! I’ve also played around with making some of my own drum and bass music. Strangely, I find that drum and bass music helps me concentrate when I write, but then I use different music genres to set the mood depending on what I am writing at the time.
Writing though is a huge passion for me and I will leave it to your judgment whether I am any good at it or not. I'm not cocky enough to give it the big "I am" just because I've been published. Everyone has a different opinion and preference to story lines and writing styles. I just hope that someone somewhere likes what I've done.
I'd thought about writing on several occasions back in the 90's but didn't have the wherewithal to get past the first few chapters on any ideas I had so I gave it up as a bad idea. It wasn't until 2007 that I started again. This time I had more experience in project planning so I put that to good use and planned everything for the novel from start to finish. After all of the preparations, the writing of the novel was easy.
'KeyStroke' was the first novel I wrote (even though it is second to be published). I've had no training in writing whatsoever (and this may show in what I've done!) but one thing I did remember reading was to write about what you know. So I used KeyStroke almost as a test subject to see whether I could write and how well it would come out. I had the idea for 'Cock it & Pull it' at the same time as 'KeyStroke' but as I thought 'Cock it & Pull it' was a better story I didn't want to write it first in case I made a mess of it and so KeyStroke was born first.
The whole process from start to finish was a revelation for me. I loved it. I loved the characters and the story line. The characters became close friends of mine that I knew inside out, almost family. Living out and sharing their experiences through the good times and bad. It was such a depressing time after having finished the novel as those friends were gone. No more adventures with them and nothing new to learn with them or from them. It was a strange feeling. You could feel the same after watching a film or reading a book where you’ve built empathy for the characters, but the feeling is amplified when writing because you have created them and they are almost a part of you. But they can be visited again when re-reading the book and those experiences enjoyed once again.
Being very happy with the end result of 'KeyStroke', I had the confidence to start with 'Cock it & Pull it'. The story line was much more complex in this one with more characters so it took longer to plan and longer to write, but the finished article serves me with immense pride.
See, now this was only supposed to be a short section about me, but when I get started writing something I can go on for hours! Of course that doesn’t make it interesting, so if you made it this far well done – go and have a cuppa and recover with a good book (preferably one of mine).
I hold a full time job as an International Data Specialist for a Food Manufacturer. If you’ve ever heard of SAP, you’ll understand the pain! (if not, don’t ask!) I’m also a massive fan of motorsports of all types, but above all the British Touring Car Championships. I try to get to as many races as I can throughout the season and fortunately my wife shares the same passion so it’s highly enjoyable for us both!
Web site designed and maintained by Peter Janes
