Sam Kates writes science fiction and dystopia (the Earth Haven series), horror (The Village of Lost Souls), short stories (Pond Life), and general fiction. During his forty-odd years on this planet, he has spent a lot of time dreaming of other worlds (fortunately for him, he has a very understanding family) and started committing those worlds to a hard drive in his early thirties. He has held a variety of jobs, from lawyer to barman, but has gained more satisfaction from working as a writer than from all the others combined; knowing that even one reader has been entertained by his stories is all the job satisfaction he needs. Kates lives by the three Rs: reading, writing, and rugby. Outside of writing, his main ambition is to see Wales beat the New Zealand All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup.