I have always been something of a scribbler. Ideas seem to come to me, a mixture of thoughts about all sorts of different things. They were songs once, then during various phases of my working life , they became reports , strategies or plans. Now they have become books, a way to observe the world around me and comment on it through the medium of the written word.

It's not often that one single thing affects everybody in the world. The coronavirus - Covid-19 - has done exactly that and created chaos through death and confusion. In a sceptical world more and more people wonder if this pandemic was somehow artificially created. It seems an insane idea and yet global politics has a kind of madness about it much of the time. So the topic chose itself. In 2020, what else could one possibly write about.

I was born and raised in London , a City which is more and more cosmopolitan with each passing year. My influences probably date back to school days where I read voraciously , anything and everything. Hard, if not impossible , to identify any one particular thing though.

I tried the traditional publishing routes first. Too slow. Too many rejections. Too hit and miss. Plus I'm a tech fan so tapping into the digital world made some sense. It seems a harder road with the author having to bear all responsibility for their own marketing which makes the whole prospect look quite intimidating at first. Time will tell how well I can make that work.

The Smashwords process helped and guided me through all the necessary steps. It's a bit early to be talking about success , although one should obviously try to remain optimistic in life. Time will tell.

On a personal note it's therapeutic, a way of making sense of a jumble of ideas , thoughts and opinions. More broadly speaking I would like to think that I can entertain and amuse through my stories. I guess I will find out about that soon enough.

Well I don't have any yet so I can't really answer that. I can imagine it must be quite a thrill though so lets hope the day comes where I have some.

Tidying up book one in the series for completion soon. It's about stealing elections so I still have much genuine and ongoing material from the real world to inform my fiction. That's why it's slightly behind book two chronologically in terms of release.

Ben Elton Frederick Forsyth Ian Fleming

Shakespeare Andrea Camilleri Tom Wolfe

Thomas Hardy P.G Wodehouse Bill Bryson

Robert Crichton George Orwell Agatha Christie

The fresh air in the park and the chance to do something new.

Walking , reading , following sport and global events. Enjoying London's pub and restaurant culture with family and friends.

Not too difficult in the main because I only follow a few. Every now and then I just happen upon something else though like T.E.Lawrence or Bill Bryson. More chance than anything else.

Well , it was a song actually , and , yes , of course. I've still got the original , scrawled on a crumpled old piece of lined paper complete with clefs , crotchets and quavers. The good old days of the bedroom guitar.

It just comes to me. I'm not aware of any process. I just sit down and type.

I remember being scared stiff by a Noddy book when I was about four or five. I think it may have been the illustrations of some wicked goblins intent on mischief that frightened me. Only a dim recollection now though. No lasting damage

Collaborative. I have my own ideas but I'm open to input.

I don't really think that I have five favourites. Anything that informs , educates or makes me laugh is welcome but I can't say that I have any kind of selection process. All a bit haphazard, a kind of serendipity I suppose.

Actually more magazines and newspapers than books in everyday life, mainly because of the convenience and ease of access.

Apple i-Mac.

A bit of a mess half the time , an object lesson in minimalism the rest of the time. Mac on one side, Windows 10 PC on the other , reading lamp in between.

Just embarking on that particular adventure now so watch this space.