I was born and raised in Liverpool in the sixties, the third of four children in what I can only describe as a family of complete nutters. I emerged from it nevertheless relatively unscathed into adulthood having studied Russian and karate at St. Andrews university harbouring vague notions of becoming a spy.After overcoming the disappointment of the failure of MI5, the KGB, the FBI or even MFI to come calling, I trained as a Technical Author and worked for years trying to inject life into what was traditionally not the most creative of disciplines. From such inauspicious beginnings my career led me into areas that include training rocket scientists in the former Soviet Union, blowing the whistle on corporate conspiracies, and coping with death threats from a disgruntled workmate. In April 2004, after a break of more than twenty years, I was finally awarded my black belt in Shotokan karate. Eat your heart out, MI5.I moved back to Scotland from a spell in the South of England and now live and work in Crieff. My publications to date, many and various and spanning a period of over two decades, dealt for the first few years principally with the intricacies of data communications, system administrator and marketing collateral for the telecommunications industry, and on-line help for the technically challenged. These days I write novels, which are much more fun.