Stewart Bruce

I grew up in several places due to my father being in the R.A.F. I was born in Lincolnshire, moved to Singapore, back to Lincolnshire and ended up in South Wales. By the time I was eight I think I had lived in eight different houses.
I'm never sure about my nationality other than being British. I was born in England, grew up in Wales, my dad was Scottish, my mum is from Derby and her dad was Welsh. I love Wales and the Welsh culture and I love Scotland. If you asked me which rugby team I support it would have to be Wales every time but I love wearing my kilt at any opportunity!
How does this influence my writing? Well, I try to bring regional accents into my books with characters like Dai, Mark and Michelle. Accents was something I became aware of very early in my life. I remember being five or six and wondering why the kids in the village, where we had moved to, all spoke differently to me. Add to that the Welsh, Scottish, Derby (my mother) and North Yorkshire connection and you have a pot of different dialects.

2011 at the age of 47. I've been thinking about the story of Beyond Uranus for 10 years but never bothered doing anything about it. My wife has an English degree and writes beautifully and I guess she inspired me to start. Once I started I found it the ultimate escapism. Teaching can be very stressful especially if you teach in a school that has been in special measures and is always on the brink of a government inspection. Writing completely removes all the stress of teaching and is a great way to relax. I always write for about an hour before going to bed and I sleep very well regardless of the events of the day.