I live in uncrowded New Zealand, a beautiful gem of a country as far away from Europe as it is possible to go. This really has advantages but travel to and from my homeland to anywhere else takes a long time and tends to be expensive! Like most New Zealanders, I love to travel; having worked and lived overseas in a number of countries which I thoroughly enjoyed. At the back of my mind however always was the place and people closest to my heart; home where the stunning mountains, forests and islands are a soothing presence in my mind.
I am lucky enough to live on a gorgeous offshore island on a 12 acre block with views to die for…. and peace few people can experience in this crowded world. Here we have to make our own electricity and maintain our own water supply, which is quite fun, but not always easy!
New Zealand's small population forces Kiwis to be self-reliant and practical and like many here I can turn my hands to most things. How well I do is another matter!
I experienced the major Christchurch NZ earthquakes in 2010-11+, and several thousand aftershocks. I was quite close to the epicentre in the worst one, and had many adventures driving back across town afterwards, dodging liquefaction, fractured watermains, collapsed walls and buildings, wildly swaying telegraph poles etc. The extreme violence of it all was a real eye-opener and a life-view changing episode, that's for sure!
Music is a great passion; a wide range of types. I am an acoustic guitarist and was once a member of an Irish band. I play folk, some pop, rock and roll, homegrown flamenco, classical etc. I tend to like the quieter side but can really let fly when required.
Yachting is another major interest; I own a steel 36ft long range cutter (a wonderful vessel) which does not get enough use. In future I hope to rectify that problem...
I did however, complete a solo Tasman Sea crossing to Queensland Australia in twelve days, which was a quite respectable time. I had lots of adventures and even managed to do a little book writing on the way!
Aviation always intrigues me; I flew gliders in my mid teens and graduated to powered aircraft, flying solo at 16yrs of age. Wearing glasses in commercial aviation was not permitted in those days and as flying was extremely expensive I did not persist. However, I still find travel in modern jet aircraft romantic… I also fly RC aircraft with varying degrees of success… Ducted fan jets can be a real challenge!
I'm always interested in news, foreign affairs, science, technology and history in general. I really like to keep up with everything going on in the world, which is easy to do these days.
My education path was somewhat patchy to begin with, as in secondary school I didn't do so well, but caught up after leaving. I gained a degree in Sociology from Canterbury University at Christchurch in NZ, (also studied papers in Psychology, Education, History and Political Science), then obtained a post graduate Teaching Diploma and have taught for several decades in NZ and in foreign countries, ending up as a founding principal of a new international school which I set up in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. In total I spent nearly seven years in China, which I loved. The school has continued to grow and is now widely accredited by several agencies, including IBO.
I was lucky enough to be able to put all my ideas of education into practice. Keep students busy, the greater the range of subjects taught the better… Learning should be interesting and fun! Enthusiastic teachers enthuse pupils!
I am able to teach all age levels which is rather unusual; from Kindergarten level to some high school subjects. As well as the basics I taught drama, practical guitar, simple structural engineering, some boatbuilding and design.
Languages were a big deal in the school; we had fourteen different nationalities attending when I left. I definitely do not have much innate skill in that department; my Mandarin is poor for one who has stayed so long in China; I can get by in French, although rather strangely, apparently I speak it better than I understand it… still, some consistent practice would help!
For me creating a novel is going to another world and time. I tend to write simply and like to surprise and arouse emotion in the reader, and increase understanding in general, although, of course, it is important to entertain as well.
Story lines and pace seem to be my strong points. I use personal experience as much as is possible, speaking to many people who were actually there at the time. This was especially true of A Wistful Legacy, where decades of research, two trips to Europe and many interviews helped make it real. It is always important to really capture the age, thought patterns and outlooks of people living then. Today, submerged in an ocean of gadgetry and instant communication it is difficult to imagine "simpler" times. (No one time is really simple by the way, just different.) I always endeavour to be as historically accurate as possible.
My first published book Merran was based around a trip I made to England and Ireland about ten years ago. It is a bit mystical, idealistic but appealingly romantic.
Phin is my first humorous novel; a feel good corporate fairy tale with a wonderful set of characters!
Billionaire Phin carries on the saga. Readers should read Phin first as this sequel is closely linked to the earlier book, the story develops in a natural, captivating way.
Aislings Cloud is a haunting novel about the founding of modern Ireland: the 1917 rebellion, the War of Independence and the bloody Irish Civil War that followed. Michael Collins figures prominently. The shadow of the Famine continues to hover over the nation…. I used five separate trips to that lovely green isle researching the topic and visiting sites. By speaking to as many locals as I could, about the experiences of their family members at that time, I gained a personal insight into events and outcomes. The structure of the novel is a little unusual but works quite well, I've been told.
Otherwise, I tend to have quite a few stories on a very extensive back burner…
I really hope you enjoy my books!