Writers' Biographies

Kon Calembakis enjoys writing poetry and has had many of his poems published in Australian and New Zealand literary magazines. He is a member of the Friendly Street Poetry Group of South Australia and also of the Multicultural Writers' Association of Australia. In both verse and prose Kon takes pleasure in drawing evocative images, his source material being the wilderness or unusual people with whom he has crossed paths.

He is currently running his own property management business in Australia.

Born in Cheshire, Len Cooke studied engineering at Stockport College before reading for a degree with the Open University. Specialising in 'Risk Assessment', his profession took him to many parts of the world until, in 1985, he came to live in the Lake District to work on the UK's nuclear submarine programme. Now semi-retired, he devotes much of his spare time to his only ‘admitted’ addiction, writing.

Herschel Waters was born in Barking on 14th July 1967. Until 1971, he lived in Brentwood, Essex, and then in Westmoreland & Rhodesia. After a wide experience of various experimental educational establishments, such as The Rudolf Steiner School, he went to art-college in Liverpool. Careers he had tried included teaching music, trading in antique books, performing as a classical guitarist and teaching English as a foreign language.

From 1992 to 1998 he travelled around Europe and South America.

In 1995 he started writing poetry and short stories influenced by the Theatre Of The Absurd and kitchen-sink dramas. He also wrote flash fiction and contributed to Lancaster’s nascent literary magazine, Lune Fiction.

In 1999, following a six month sabbatical in Kendal’s asylum, Herschel Waters wrote his first novella, Homo Singular, which he never succeeded in completing. He then wrote The Abduction, his second novella. He also recorded with his partner the album Arabesque, an album influenced by Classical and Latin American guitar music.

Herschel Waters married in 2001 and wrote Michael Robertson between Autumn 2002 and Summer 2004.

He died October 2004 in a motor bike accident in the Scottish Highlands.

Sarah Sidibeh lives in London and is a multi-talented writer. She has written short stories, poetry, plays, children's books and a novel. Also among her accomplishments are songs, advertising copy, television scripts and jokes - if it can be written, the chances are Sarah's done it. She's had short stories broadcast on radio and has collected an impressive array of certificates, trophies, medals and cups.

She's worked as a private tutor and as an adult literacy tutor in a further education college, pleased to pass on her own knowledge and experience.

In the future she intends to carry on writing, read her work at literary festivals and see her efforts being enjoyed by others, Emigration to Canada remains an ambition.

A sense of humour is a wonderful thing to have, and Michael McColl certainly has one. It ranges from the truly bizarre to the really corny - he laughs at the sort of material collected for his (so far) one and only book!

He lives in a barely converted stable, drives a Triumph Herald convertible and makes his living as "a real, practising village idiot to amuse tourists" - at least, that's what he told us.

Gerald Sables was born and raised in Doncaster in a mining community and grew up to be both devilishly handsome and blessed with a superior intellect. Sadly, like all geniuses, his intellect wasn't recognised so he went to work as a stores clerk for the Coal Board. He didn't apply for a job below ground out of respect for his father who had said that he had worked all his life 'in that hellhole underground' so that his children wouldn't have to.

In 1974 Gerald was involved in a serious car accident and through his injuries was housebound for several years. Fortunately his dazzling looks hadn't suffered in the accident but being unable to go out meant that all the local maidens were in mourning and wore black until he was well enough to re-enter the world.

R T Barton (not his real name) is an intelligent writer and an accomplished musician. In his writing he tries to set out his own views on life and how it might be lived: agree or disagree with him, it's impossible to ignore him.

Allan Barham has seen life as a labourer, soldier, coalman, actor and even 'stand-in doctor', as told in his wonderfully entertaining book 'Tales Of The Old Waterloo', and for over thirty years he worked for the BBC as a radio journalist and producer of countless features. He's presented many popular series such as 'Points North', 'My Kind of Town', 'Summer Holiday', 'Back with Barham' and for the World Service 'Wales Today', and in London he was a reporter on the award winning crime buster series 'Checkpoint'.

Brad Aubrey is probably not too unlike the hero of his 'A Picaresque Tale'. Like Ashley, he has tried his hand at novel writing and also has an interest in the theatre. Drawing on experience growing up in a working class town, he's met up with one or two young offender boys himself, but in writing about Ashley there has been a good deal of imagination employed too.

Brad likes sport and outdoor activities and loves reading mystery novels. Books and showbiz are magical worlds to him, people by some very special entertainers, and he hopes one day to be part of that tradition. With a love of comedy and acting, his heroes in the past were the likes of Kenneth Williams, Frankie Howerd and Dick Emery. Whatever happens, he wants to carry on regardless. He sees himself writing, and creating characters and situations, certainly for the foreseeable future, for it is what he enjoys doing most. After all, there is nothing better than making people laugh - is there?

Ron Bennett is a native of Wrexham, now living in Lincolnshire. He has been a serving officer in the Royal Air Force for more than thirty years and draws on his accumulated experience to produce writing that blends fact and fiction to produce a uniquely revealing insight into service life. The result is tense, thrilling writing that has the unmistakable air of authenticity.

J D Whitten lives in the English Midlands and has spent a long time studying human relationships, not just between individuals but between the races, between religious groupings and, not least the ages. His conclusions have been put tegether in his book, 'The First Citizen Of Life'.

Bright Mills is a media practitioner and he lives in Nigeria. He is a multi-talented writer, and has worked in the newspaper industry as a journalist. He has written articles about world events and geopolitics, and also about children's social, moral and religious upbringing and alerting them to the dangers and menaces in society at large.

His books offer a very different perspective on relationships and it is interesting to compare his Nigeria viewpoint with those of, say, Europe or North America.

Dr Tom Austin spent the major part of his careeer in the army, working as an anaesthetist. He has recorded his experiences in his book 'This Won't Hurt', which covers amongst many other things the Cold War, the Belfast Troubles and the civil war in Cyprus.

He lives in retirement in South Wales.

Jay Holloway is a Baby Boomer born in Hertfordshire, but now relocated to the North Devon Coast, where he runs the Exmoor Brass Rubbing Centre in Lynmouth. A graphic designer & film cameraman in a former life, he has lways been interested in History & writing, and has had a nump r of magazine articles published and commissioned, many on historical themes. He has also published a slim volume of nonsense verse, illustrated by wife Ley, entitled "The King of String & Other Nonsense".

Picture courtesy of The North Devon Gazette

Elwyn Griffiths yr awdur yn frodor o Llanberis, a'u dad ac ei gyndadau a chysylltiad hir a Chwarel Dinorwic a phentra Llanberis, ond yn nawr yb trigo yn Nghaernarfon.

Originally from the North East of England, Bob Lee now lives in Melbourne, Australia. His work covers many areas of fiction writing, yet all his books exhibit a great deal of thoughtfulness and no small amount of intellect. We are proud to be able to offer his work to our readership.

Neil Horan was born in 1947 in Scartaglen, County Kerry, in the Republic of Ireland. After schooling in Ireland he was ordained a Catholic Priest in Saint Mary's Cathedral, Killarney, in 1973.

He has served all his priestly life in the Southwark Diocese, covering London south of the River Thames and Kent, his first Parish being Bexley in Kent.

His interest in Bible prophecy began when he attended a lecture in 1974 given by the Apostolic Fellowship of Christ, a group which originated with the Christadelphians. Meaning 'Brothers in Christ' the Christadelphians were a small Church founded in 1861 by Dr John Thomas. Father Horan says he owes a debt of gratitude to the Christadelphian tradition for the understanding of the Bible given to him. He regards the Bible as the greatest Book in the world and has devoted his life to making it better known, especially the prophecies.

He is not a prophet, considering himself to be merely an interpreter, has never received a Divine message or vision, and God has never spoken to him. He feels that he is right only in so far as he interprets the Book of Books correctly.

Following well publicised events at Silverstone and Athens our relationship with Neil Horan has received a lot of consideration. We have never condoned his actions, nor do we now: however, we have also considered his books. They remain, as they were before Silverstone and Athens, cogently argued explanations of his beliefs and, naturally, predate the Silverstone event; as such we believe it would be wrong to deny the opportunity of reading them to those who wish to do so. They are books of tolerance and peaceful co-existence; they should be disassociated from the later actions of their author.

Cat Morley isn't her real name. Well, looking at the substance of 'Box Number Secrets' that shouldn't come as a surprise, should it? She's clever, she's funny, and both facets come across in her writing; we can only hope to see more in the future.

Shahidun and her twin sisterw were born in Cambridge on 14th December 1971, two days before Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, became independent. She has three older brothers, who were also born in Cambridge. Her father arrived in the UK in 1957, hoping to start a restaurant. The business became a success: her mother joined her father in 1963 and they settled in Cambridge.

Shahidun married Zillur Rahman in 1990 in Bangladesh. By the time she returned to England to deal with the necessary paperwork for her husband to join her she was already expecting her first child. As her book "Ibrahim" tells, her son Ibrahim Hamzah Rahman was born in Cambridge on 19th December 1990, a normal, healthy boy weighing 5lb 15oz, but his father was not permitted entry to the UK until October 1991, when his son was already 10 months old.

Ibrahim was diagnosed as suffering from Semantic Pragmatic Language Disorder and Shahidun's book recounts the first difficult, rewarding and occasionally traumatic years of his life. Ibrahim now has two other brothers and a sister.

Avanee Kapoor is a young but very talented writer born in 1989 in Bhopal, northern India, and is the daughter of Pradeep and Neelkamal Kapoor, both of whom have work on the Deunant site. When we first saw Avanee's work it was almost impossible to believe that she wasn't a great deal older than she claimed to be; it is rare indeed to see such quality from one so young. We are so proud to be able to offer her work.

Dr Pradeep Kapoor lives in Bhopal, northern India, the site of the worst industrial disaster ever due to leaking of Methyl Iso Cyanate gas from the Union Carbide plant in 1984. Thousands died and many more were maimed for life. Both Pradeep and his wife Neelkamal, also a doctor, were involved in providing medical help to the victims of that tragedy.

He is an inventive writer, principally of romantic fiction although he is capable of penning some very funny stories too, and that invention makes his stories both readable and meaningful.

For more years than I care to remember, I have had a pen in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. My schoolteachers, English, 'You can forget thinking that you will pass the GCE,' and Art teacher, 'Paula WHY do you always paint old fashioned pictures, NO ONE else does?' could not dampen my spirits, and I carried on being ME.

So I happily wrote and painted for my own pleasure.

THEN someone gave me an old computer and I found I could push words and paint around electronically, which was much more comfortable for hands that were no longer as nimble as they were 60 years ago.

It was no time before I found Deunant Books, and realised that at last I had a chance to share all those years of writing with others.

The stories reflect the things I have done, and the places I have been, from sedate Berkshire to my beloved Highlands, and last year, when after a lifetime of waiting, I eventually set my feet on Snowdon.

Paula George is well enough known; her fantasy and romantic novels are all thoroughly enjoyable. When she's writing specifically for children she collaborates with her son - hence the 'Chas and Paula' attribution.

Brian Cummiskey has lived all his life in the Glasgow area. Blessed with the ability to identify subjects and themes that engage the emotions, he has become a storyteller, albeit in verse, of some substance. Perhaps the most famous of the ilk is Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself, (at least when he's being reasonably serious!) and there are certainly similarities. Like so many from Glasgow, Brian's is an underrated talent.

Peter Waters was an accountant for many years before switching to the financial services industry, where he gathered the source material for his one and only book, 'Just Money'. He wrote that book, a fictionalised account of real events, as a cathartic exercise, to 'rid myself of the demons I carried within my mind'. The book was written during a sabbatical he awarded himself; he now works as a freelance designer of financial products.

Alan Beardmore has been a motor racing fan since the 1960s - "since the days when I used to cycle to Brands Hatch and sneak in through a hole in the fence". It's not surprising, then, to find that he writes about motor racing even though his 'real' job, from which he has now retired, was very different.

He still lives in Kent, where he was born and brought up.

Belinda Saulnier from Nova Scotia, Canada has been writing poetry since she was 15 years old; now poetry has been part of her life for more than half its span. Much of her work is inspired by her feelings for the man and the children in her life. Her eloquent tenderness reflects these feelings quite wonderfully.

Liam Leddy is Glaswegian by birth and has spent his whole life in Blantyre, the birthplace of the explorer David Livingstone. He was urged to take up creative writing in his schooldays but ignore the exhortation; now that he is finally writing he has produced, and continues to produce, work of the highest quality whether in short story form or in his novels.
There is a bona fide Leddy style too: following in the tradition of Agatha Christie but without the necessity of a central detective character, he weaves intricate plots with outcomes that are impossible to predict, yet are so plain once they have been revealed. It is a privilege to bring his work to a wider audience.

Edward Lacey has been writing, on and off, for many years now. He says the only consistent thing about his writing is its inconsistency! He has written short stories, some of which have been collected in an anthology under the title "By The Fireside", "Bodily Disfunctions", a collection of very, very funny medical stories, and has created "The Really Corny Joke Compendium". The last-mentioned, he says, 'really lives down to its title'!

David Lovegrace practised as a lawyer until his health forced him to draw a line under that part of his life. He is a sufferer from Ollier's Disease - indeed, the oldest such sufferer in the UK - but despite the constant pain he has never let it defeat his remarkable sense of humour. When questioned as to his longevity he always attributes his survival to his avowed intention that dying is positively the last thing he intends to do.

It is a privilege to know this extraordinary man and a greater one to be able to offer his work through Deunant Books.

Although now living back in Essex, Bob Bridge spent some time living on the North Wales Coast. It was during that time that he came across the story of Kinmel Camp; that inspired a novel about the events there in 1919. He has also written several truly exciting books about his fictional private eye Jim Bent as well as venturing into other genres. He is an inventive writer, family man and gentleman - and is truly deserving of whatever success his writing may bring him.

Ronald White is a retired architect living in rural North Wales. He has been writing for thirty years but remained unpublished until he submitted his work to Deunant Books.

He still travels extensively, particularly to the United States.

John Tummon was a retail manager until he took early retirement as a result of ill health. He lives on the outskirts of Glasgow with his wife Brenda; they have three grown up children.

He began writing several years ago, has had several short stories published in national magazines and contributes to a local free newspaper. He says writing short stories helps him relax. He usually starts out with just a title and is always keen to find out how his stories will end - it's rare for him to know how a story will unfold before he starts. He says it's an interesting adventure and one he usually enjoys; if the reader enjoys it too he is delighted.

Born in Sussex in 1965 and now living in Oxford, Darren Wilson has had a varied career, accumulating experience which he uses to good effect in his writing. His liking for travel has clearly influenced his writing too, although his self-confessed affection for Brighton And Hove Albion Football Club may, possibly, also have had an influence if only at a sunconscious level!

Ari L C Jay is a half-English, half-Irish resident of North Wales who, after some years spent in the RAF, and in teaching in the electronics industry, and as a technical author with one of the giant electronics companies, is now retired, tired and approaching decrepitude! He is a father of six, the grandfather of four and the borrowed grandfather of one, and has the undoubted pleasure of being the long-time husband of the one who has kept him going for the past thirty-odd years; a job she still does now, when all he does is to spend his time sculpting, sketching, writing and becoming older and ever more decrepit and grouchy!

Oliver Marti, whose real name is Jorge Martins de Oliveira, was born in 1935, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He graduated in medicine at the Medical School of the University of Brazil (now Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) in 1956. After internship at the Hospital of Clinics in São Paulo, he left for the US, staying for three and a half years as a Fellow in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. In 1987, he attained the degree of Specialist in Neuroscience. He now keeps a private practice and is also a Full Professor in Medicine at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. For the past forty years, he has published many scientific articles and books, as well as several novels under the name of Oliver Marti.
After returning from the States in 1961, the author started writing poems, novels and medical books. Let us mention, first, the medical ones, with their titles translated to English: Coronary Risk Factors (Guanabara - Koogan, Rio, 1978), The Ortomolecular Theory in Clinical Medicine (Artezen Productions, Rio, 1995), Principles of Neuroscience (TecnoPress, Sâo Paulo,1997) and Pathways to Well - Being (EPUB, Rio, 2002).
Now, the published novels (also under English titles): Red Autumn (O Globo, Porto Alegre, 1966), Twenty-one Days in October (Record, Rio, 1982), The Itaipu Plot (Alpha - Omega, São Paulo, 1983), The Night of the Slum Dwellers (first edition by Scorpio, Rio, 1984 and second edition by TecnoPress, São Paulo, 1998), The Kidnapping of the President (Carvalho Silva Editorial, Rio, 1997) and The Night of the Orixas (SENAI, Rio, 1999).
He also wrote three thesis, two on medicine (Blood Groups and Coronary Heart Disease, Rio, 1968 and Edematous Arterial Reaction, Rio, 1972) and one on sociology, for his graduation at the Escola Superior de Guerra (War School) - connected to the Brazilian Armed Forces, The Social Role of the Church in Brazil, Rio, 1982.
He also wrote, from 1957 to 2000, over 100 scientific articles for several medical magazines, in Brazil and abroad, most of them in the US.
Finally, he has written three more novels that he hopes to publish in the near future, either in the US or in Great Britain, or even in Brazil. They are: The Man Who Buried Jesus (a historical fiction), Back to Hitler’s Germany, his first release through Deunant Books, and The House of the Seven Moons (partially based on real facts). He has also translated to English A Noite dos Favelados (The Night of the Slum Dwellers), so far his most successful and praised novel.

Now in his fifties and married with three daughters, George lives on the outskirts of Glasgow. A former soldier who served with 3 Commando, he spent 16 years as a police officer, largely in the CID. Now he has returned to the police force as a civilian employee. His knowledge of police procedures, and the ways of the dishonest, lends a rare authenticity to his work.

A retired teacher of English, Torquil Cowan is a Highland Scot and it's often been said that the north of Scotland is where you'll hear English in its clearest form. Perhaps it's no wonder, then, that Torquil is such an accomplished wordsmith, equally at home with thrilling crime novels or side-splitting comedy. Try his work - you won't be disappointed.

Ralph Thomas is native of South Wales, although now residing elsewhere, and over the years has immersed himself in the history of the area, in particular in the early days of industrial development and the evolution of communities. He has several books to his name that reflect those interests.

There is no doubt that Ralph is the most charming of men, a writer, playwright, wit, raconteur of some repute and, last but not least, a gentleman.

Jenny James is, in every sense of the word, a character. She has lived a singular life, much of which is recorded in her 'Atlantis' books, and has journeyed from her native Kent through the rest of the UK, Ireland and much of South America before settling in the Andean foothills of Colombia.

She's also the matriarch of a remarkable family: some of the music of Atlantis, performed by her daughters, is available from Deunant Books.

A young, lithe 5' 11' with legs up to the armpits, waist long auburn hair and a figure to match, Linda lives in a luxurious penthouse suite, where the lift attendant and doorman (who closely resemble Mel Gibson and Sean Connery respectively), dissuade any casual visitor, allowing Linda to take life at a genteel pace.

Yeah, right! Maybe we should drift toward reality. She has now ventured into the world of e­books although other short stories have found their way into magazines and books. Dedication of her work goes to her long-suffering but supportive husband.

Doug Tyler is a Londoner and really quite down to earth; actually a very ordinary chap. He says he's always enjoyed science fiction, though, which does seem a little at odds with his character, but finds a lot of the genre too far-fetched. His own writing is definitely sci-fi, but doesn't fall into that particular trap because, as he says, he wants to write about what probably won't happen this week but could well happen in the reasonably near future.

For practical reasons - he says - he titles his books alphabetically. Thus "Aupes" was first, then "Blackwell's Dilemma" and so on. He's currently working on the 'H' book, which he claims will be ready in late 2007.

Michael Raine is a talented writer of vastly different kinds of books, yet everything bears his distinctive lightness of touch and at least a hint of a more innocent age. His writing for children is accomplished, his poetry is easy to read and his crime thrillers are intricately plotted, suspenseful and absorbing. We are immensely proud to be able to offer his work.

Although an Englishman, Michael lives and writes in Turkey, enjoying a far better climate than he would in Britain!

Jack was brought up in the countryside around Canterbury in East Kent, and this forms the background for most of his first science fiction novel, 'Persephone Wakes.' He first became interested in writing in his teens, but this early involvement was largely forgotten when he moved away, first to university and later to work in London.

During the 1990s, he became interested in the evolving debate over the science of consciousness and its connection both to unresolved problems in physics and to the much older debate about the possibility of an afterlife. These questions form the underlying subject matter of 'Persephone Wakes'.

Although how living in Lincolnshire, Lesley Bridger is originally from Kent and it is that county that provides inspiration for much of her work. She is a lovely, modest lady and a far better writer than she believes she is!

Conscripted into the military in 1942, Ken White served in the Royal Marines until he was demobbed in 1946. For a substantial part of that period he was aboard a Landing Craft Flak ship, LCF7, which is the subject of his book under that title.

Now describing himself as an octegenarian sagettarian, he wrote his book originally in response to a request by a relative of a fellow Marine, who wanted to know what life aboard an LCF ship was like. Thanks to that simple request, now we can all know.

Merville Edwards, nee Price, was born in South Wales in 1915; she was named after the small town close to the France-Belgium border where her uncle had been prior to his death in action in the 1914-18 war. Her life is recorded in "The Servant", committed to paper by Ralph Thomas.

Sadly, Mrs Edwards died several years ago. "The Servant" remains as a tribute to her.

"As a child it was never impressed upon me to read and write, at least not to any high standard. I was never encouraged to pick up a pen and practice handwriting or to read a book. In fact it wasn't until the age of 23 that I read my first book from cover to cover. It was after turning the last page and finding the ending that I realized what I'd missed out on over the years. At that point I made a promise to myself to make a conscious effort to read as much as possible. Indeed I read many books and still do. I enjoy the peace that comes with the soft turning of the pages and the thoughts that swirl endlessly around and around in your mind. In a book the reader becomes God. Only the reader decides how the landscape looks or how big the buildings really are. Only the reader colours the sky and marks the way in which people walk, talk and act. I learnt that as a reader I become the creator. Although it wasn't me who took the time to pen the words in the books I read, it was me who was able to depict how the book appeared and when each chapter stopped and started. Unlike TV and radio I was in charge of when and where I would find out what happened next. Inspired by this I began to write."

He says himself he is the world's greatest unknown poet. Need we say more?

Er, yes, actually. Now his work is on the Deunant Books website he's not unknown any more, is he?

Frans Bopape is an eloquent man from Tholongwe, South Africa. In his 30s, he writes sensitive, readable poetry about subjects close to his heart: we consider him to be a shining addition to our stable of writers.

Lillie Evans was born in 1904 and lived a life that is really quite alien to those of us whose lives have been led wholly in the post World War II period. She was a remarkable lady, surviving the sort of deprivations that nowadays we struggle to understand. She had a sense of humour and a streak of wilful naughtiness, both of which stood her in good stead as her life story explains.

Marc Rowe was born and bred in Ystrad Mynach, South Wales, the epicentre of literary excellence and binge drinking. A talented rugby player, college lecturer and Strongbow drinker, Marc was born with a love of the English language.

His rugby team mates at Penallta are unaware of his literary leanings but the stories in the 'Barry the Badger' collection were inspired by many of the characters within the club.

His stories of Barry the Badger are part of Marc's furtive imagination and incoherent mind. Marc nurtures these extraordinary abilities within the confines of his bedroom, where he spends most of his time hung over. Still living at home with his parents, and with no intentions of getting on the housing ladder before 2030, Marc remains a 'mammy's boy' and does all he can to help his mother spend hours washing, ironing, cooking and neutralising the smell of his room.

Marc has a University degree in English studies and the 45 'Barry' stories are the fruit of his student labours. As, of course, are his silly haircut and unusual dress-sense.

Marc would like to thank Lord Bob Francis, Oliver Reed, Mike Guilfoyle and Martyn Rowe for their help and inspiration in producing his fine literary efforts. And he would also like to thank Barry the Badger and all his wonderful friends.

Erudite yet down to earth, Brian Crabb is a lecturer in philosophy who writes as and when he feels possessed by the need to do so. Unlike many an academic, he has the ability to explain complex concepts in comprehensible language so there is no need to fear his work - even our reviewer managed to grasp what he was saying!

He is a gentleman, a gentle man whose intellect has failed to suppress his natural modesty and decency; we are proud to be able to offer his work.

Max Diamond led a life that many of us would envy - commando, stuntman, jouster and friend of the stars of his day. Read his autobiography but prepare to be amazed!

Married with a family of two and three grandchildren, Iain Brown is retired and lives near Paisley in Scotland. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Quality Assurance and began by writing technical documents such as Quality Manuals, etec, but when he retired like many authors he turned his hand to writing short stories for family and friends. He was soon persuaded to try writing for money and now has several books of short stories to his credit as well as a full-length novel.

Still a Munro-bagging hill walker and photography freak, Iain manages to combine these interests in some of his writing. He and his wife Maureen also look after a collection of thirty bonsai trees. He is a keen outdoor green bowler and gardener, and is occasionally still involved in coaching and judging judo contests. His spare time is his own.

I am both a scientist, a chartered member of the Institute of Physics, and a priest in the Church of England. Both my wife, who is also an ordained priest, and I are attracted to the Franciscans and are members of the Third Order of the Society of Saint Francis. All of this sounds terribly dull and respectable!

What is important is that I feel a strong need to make known the beliefs and understanding which I share with many other rational Christians who are also scientists, and which run contrary to the widespread emphasis within the media of the growth of fundamentalism. Once, on a walking holiday in Madeira, I was asked by another member of the group, "How can you be both a priest and a scientist?" I am writing in as interesting and open way as I can to try to help others to understand that this is not only possible but right, and that we don't become blind to reason when we open our eyes to faith.

Sir Henry Rider Haggard was born the eighth of ten children in Norfolk in 1856. Educated privately, he entered the Colonial Service and spent the years from 1875 to 1881 in South Africa. He began to read law in 1881 and was called to the Bar in 1885; he was never to practise law as his novels, notably 'King Solomon's Mines', became runaway successes.

As well as writing, he developed an interest in farming which in turn led to him serving on many Royal Commissions; he was knighted for public service in 1912.

Haggard died in 1925, the year before the publication of his autobiography 'The Days Of My Life'.

"Yes, it is my real name…..
"I was brought up in the sleepy, but picturesque town of Monmouth in the Wye Valley, taking a lot of interest in reading, singing, playing music and writing from an early age. (I have lived in other places, but there seemed to be one strong magnet that drew me back to where I started from!)
I began writing poetry seriously (or not, depending on which ones you read!) in 1981, when my English teacher spotted and encouraged my talent!
I spent my latter schooldays writing alternative lyrics to chart hits, limericks about the teachers and Valentine verses for my peers (for them to send, you understand!).
"In February 1988, aged 19, whilst working at the local primary school as a classroom assistant, as my contribution to Comic Relief I wrote and sang 2 comedy songs for the kids. They were astounded, bewildered and highly amused by the fact that “Miss” could dress up, play the guitar, sing, write, and make people laugh all at the same time!!!
"By 1989, I had progressed to working on a project for radio, writing the scripts for and voicing a children’s magazine programme.
"I have, since March ’04 picked up the pen again, having spent the previous 14 years on motherhood.
"My family are a fantastic source of inspiration, and enthusiastically support my work. In 2005, during a poetry project for Year 8, my youngest daughter took my collection to school, and some of my works were used.
"I write about subjects that we can all relate to, whether directly or indirectly. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes upsetting, sometimes thought provoking, but always real….. and in language everyone can understand!
"Enjoy!!!"

Born in 1875 in south east London, Edgar Wallace had a number of menial jobs before becoming a news correspondent, covering the Boer War for Reuters and the Daily Mail. He was to combine newspaper work with his writing career, which continued at an unabated, prodigious rate until his death in 1932. His output ran to over 100 thrillers, 50 volumes of short stories, 30 plays and much else besides, always seeking a wide audience in preference to critical acclaim.

Richard William Patrick Finlan was born on December 9th 1950 at the Lydia Beynon Nursing Home (now the Celtic Manor Hotel and Resort), Newport, South Wales.

Leaving school at 15, Richard worked as an apprentice butcher for four years before moving into engineering. For 16 years he worked for a company dealing with toxic waste, travelling the world cleaning up industrial pollution. Then, after being made redundant, he wandered into journalism where he worked for two years as Sports and Features Editor for The Pontypool Press (now the Free Press). There followed a six year stint as driver/salesman for a company that manufactures printing rollers, before he got fed up with being stuck on the M25 every Friday. He now works as a housekeeping porter for the Celtic Manor (come full circle).

Richard has had several poems published in national anthologies and a few short stories in a small press magazine called Basically Insane. Two years ago (2002) he wrote Weird Tales from Weird Wales with his colleague Darren Powis. This book has had moderate success within the locality and has also sold in America, Australia and parts of Europe.

When he’s not writing or portering, Richard plays and teaches classical and blues guitar, (he started out in 1966 trying to play like Jeff Beck: he’s still trying) reads everything from sci-fi, fantasy and horror to mediaeval and ancient history and enjoys model making and being a rock DJ for local community radio stations. He also has his own website at www.daric.co.uk

Only ten years from retirement, Richard would like to spend his days lazing around drinking good wine and smoking good cigars, so please buy his books.

Latterly living almost as a recluse in West Wales, Mary Lloyd takes an individual approach to her writing. 'Weep Not The Widow' is a most unusual book (take a look!) and very different to the gritty realism of 'The Sanity Of Madness', whereas 'Lisa Marshall, Time Detective' is light-hearted in approach, even when it's set against traumatic events. She has achieved much with these three books - we hope to see more in the future.

"I used to be an accountant, but I got better. Eventually, just to give myself a break from walking the dog and injuring myself in ever more inventive ways whilst attempting sundry DIY tasks, I started Deunant Books which, for my sins, I still run. It brings me into regular contact with writers from all over the world and that's no bad thing, is it? After all, writers are such nice people, aren't they?"

Brynn Bretonn has a showbusiness background, appearing with such great artistes as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Johnny Carson, Errol Garner and many, many more in concerts, on television and in Supper Clubs in the USA.

Writing at first as a hobby led to feature articles, plays and short stories.

Returning to Britain, Brynn spent two years researching and writing a massive historical book about Harri Twdr, "By Right Of Conquest".

Throughout the 70's, living in Rhodesia, Brynn wrote and produced hun­dreds of radio scripts. She also travelled the length and breadth of the coun­try, lecturing on Positive Thinking.

Her lectures in the early 80's in the USA brought her much recognition, including the highest honour in the State of Arkansas, the 'Arkansas Traveller' carrying with it the commission of Ambassador, representing the State throughout the world.

A devout follower of Norman V. Peale since the days when she was a resident of New York and attended his church on 29th Street, Brynn firmly believes that anyone can change their life by adopting and putting into practice a positive attitude.

Tony Bletcher is in his fifties and lives in the North East of England. Until quite recently he owned a canal barge in the Midlands which he'd had for many years, and is still keen on England's inland waterways. Sparta is his first novel but he also writes what he calls black poems about death and the after-life. He decided to write his own book, he told us, because he ran out of new Nevil Shute novels to read.

Scott was born in Edinburgh in 1771; after studying law at Edingurgh University he rose to become Deputy Sheriff of Selkirk in 1799.

He is rightly acclaimed as a literary critic as well as a remarkable writer; he has been credited with a major role in restoring the reputation of post-rebellion Scotland and there is no doubt that he had a major hand in creating the romantic aura that still surounds the country.

After a short period in Italy, Scott returned to Scotland where he died in September 1831.

After what she described as "an expensive private school and university education led to a useless 'ology' degree" Nicola Bray worked in a variety of jobs before marrying and settling down to life as a housewife and mother. She says she is lucky because her family benefits from a very good lifestyle which allows her to write when she wants to. It has become clear that her output may not be prolific, but it is certainly of real quality.

Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469 of an old citizen family. Little is known about his life until 1498, when he was appointed secretary and Second Chancellor to the Florentine Republic. During his time of office his journeys included missions to Louis XII and to the Emperor Maximilian; he was with Cesare Borgia in the Romagna; and after watching the Papal election of 1503 he accompanied Julius II on his first campaign of conquest. In 1507, as chancellor of the newly appointed Nove di Milizia, he organized an infantry force which fought at the capture of Pisa in 1509. Three years later it was defeated by the Holy League at Prato, the Medici returned to Florence, and Machiavelli was excluded trom public life. After suffering imprisonment and torture, he retired to his farm near San Casciano, where he lived with his wife and six children and gave his time to study and writing. After a brief return to public life, he died in 1527.

Ryan Hart is, or was when he came to us in 2006, 49 years old, still with all his own hair and teeth, single and living and working in Leeds. Ryan isn't his real name. His colleagues at work live under the illusion that he used to belong to the French Foreign Legion. Although he keeps telling them it's not true they insist that it is!

He's been writing on and off for many years and recommends it to anyone as a tonic for depression and boredom.

Not all of our books have a single writer; some are compilations of the work of many different authors and these are grouped together under this heading. Most of those whose work is represented here have books under their own name elsewhere, but many do not: we've always said that we're happy to handle everything from a major novel to a single poem and here's the evidence!