It feels marvelous! I've been concentrating on books for the last few years and I've missed the thrill of being published online. Collidor staff have been great to work with, too.

I'm British, but I live on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canaries. I came here with a six-month contract to work in the astronomical observatory here back in 1990. I'm still here because I met a local man in the Isaac Newton Telescope, under the stars in the heart-shaped island. (Yes really!)

I've published about 50 short stories, plus a Kindle anthology of quirky SF, “The Dodo Dragon and other stories” (https://www.amazon.com/Dodo-Dragon-other-stories-ebook/dp/B007WJXX0G/ref=sr_1_1) The paperback books I've published are both about the island of La Palma, although they're very different.

“A Breathtaking Window on the Universe” (http://dragontree.sheilacrosby.com/blog/products-page/english/a-breathtaking-window-on-the-universe-second-edition/) is a guide book to the international astronomical observatory here. I used to work there as a software engineer, and now I'm a tour guide, so I'm used to explaining the technical things to normal people, and it's sold rather well. In fact I plan to start work on the third edition this autumn.

“The Seer's Stone” (http://dragontree.sheilacrosby.com/blog/products-page/childrens-fiction/the-seers-stone-2/) is an illustrated anthology of stories for children aged 10-12. I've taken real historical events on the island, and created stories around them. There are links between the stories too, so it's what Ursula LeGuin called a story suite.

It was inspired by the lyrics of “These Eyes”, a song by my friend Norma Wilow. Sadly, she's stopped selling CDs, but I think she's really talented.
These eyes are fools, they pick and chose
What's really there before them.
They're charmed by the poseurs
Taken in by their aires and graces
So rotten to the core of cores.

I've been cyborg since I was six years old. I wear glasses. I've also had my leg in plaster a couple of times, which is a partial exo-skeleton. I think it's a question of taking the technology which is worthwhile and refusing the rest, and that will be a different calculation for different people.

I read lots of SF and thrillers and occasional chick-lit. I've just finished “Divergent” by Veronica Roth, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy. I loved the Imperial Radch trilogy (Ancillary Justice etc.) by Ann Leckie too. And I'm really looking forward to the release of “The Call” by Peadar O'Guilin coming out in September because I loved his “Inferior” books. When I'm on holiday, I like something that stretches my mental muscles a bit more, like Neal Stevenson or N. K. Jesmin.

Sometimes the world can get very dark, but human ingenuity usually finds a solution, or at least a partial solution. And I'm English – when I feel like I have to either laugh or cry, I usually laugh.

I'm currently writing a whodunnit set in the La Palma observatory. It's called “Murder by Starlight” and the heroine is the first female engineer employed there. Much of the research was done just by working at the observatory for twelve years. I'm having fun. Whenever people annoy me, I go home and (fictionally) kill them. And there are such interesting ways to murder someone in a large telescope.