Alan Read

Biography

Born in Grafton NSW in 1942, Maurice Allen was educated at Homebush boys High, from where he escaped to begin life as a Plumber. Following several near death experiences he became a Public Servant. With the threat of a departmental re-structure hanging over him he resigned to work as a Chauffeur. He has retired and moved to Goolwa Beach where he walks his two dogs on the beach, writes short stories and the occasional novel, and drives in tarmac rallies.
He has few indulgences apart from good red wine, in moderation of course.
He has resisted the urge to become involved in social media, but will, reluctantly, join the modern world.

Smashwords Interview

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I was born in northern NSW and raised in Sydney, At high school I hated English, but I had been encouraged by my mother from an early age to read, and developed a voracious appetite for all sorts of books, magazines, just about anything with printing on a page.
All through my life I have filed away, in my memory bank of useless trivia, life experiences, and these I draw upon for inspiration. The Dancing Man came from an idea from my plumbing days. Promi$e$ has been influenced by my experiences with the Christian Church. The idea for Rogue Element began in the late 60's with some 'heavy shit' hitting the streets of Sydney. The incidents surrounding the Hilton Hotel bombing raised questions in my mind that have never been fully answered.
When did you first start writing?
I was first encouraged to write by my Adult Ed English teacher in the late 1970's. She paid me the compliment by telling me that when she sat down to mark the 50 or so essays each week, she set mine aside, and when she got sick of reading the same stuff, she read mine, knowing that my different perspective and writing style would motivate her to complete the task. It wasn't until the 80's that I began writing seriously, initially as therapy following my marriage breakdown. The initial draft of my first novel took 10 days for 60,000 words. since then I have written 5 novels and a couple of novellas along with well over a hundred short stories.
Read more of this interview.

Books

Fashionably Late - For My Own Funeral.
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 83,570. Language: English. Published: July 15, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Thriller & suspense » Crime thriller
My transformation from writer geek to a superstar writer of realistic crime fiction is down to Melissa Blanchette, my wife. My transformation from superstar writer to the Avenger is also down to her, and to my financial advisor. He because he invested my money on a drug importation scheme, she because she was having an affair with him. With the help of Sendi Soren I set out to clear my name.
Life On The Road
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 165,120. Language: English. Published: July 4, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Literary collections » Australian & Oceanian, Fiction » Romance » Short stories
Life on the Road is a collection of short, and sometimes erotic, romance stories set in a distinctive Australian environment.
Rogue Element
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 101,360. Language: English. Published: June 6, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Adventure » General
Russell French, an Australian journalist, receives files from a whistle blower in the US. In it is information, that he had been ordered not to publish at the time. surrounding the bombing of the Sydney Hilton Hotel in 1978. This is the story of his investigation, a story that began in 1969 and involves a shipment of hashish laced with heroin.
Promi$eS
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 119,810. Language: English. Published: May 18, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Christian » Contemporary
What would you do if you believed that your church was more interested in profits than prophet? Would you walk away as so many had done before, or would you take the church on? Frank did the latter, and with the help of Lawyer Michael Henderson, he took the church on for failing to honour the dangled carrot of a seven-fold increase in his finances.
The Dancing Man
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 60,180. Language: English. Published: May 15, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » General
The discovery of a body brings back memories for Cynthia Swain. Memories of her childhood in this place, of her parents, of her first love. Detective Sergeant Brownlow is determined to find out who it was, how and why he died, and his investigations lead to Cynthia. What is she hiding? Who is she protecting?