Thrillers, mysteries & fairy tales, told with a wink.

I was born in Failsworth, Manchester, sometime in the latter half of the 20th century. Not that I remember Failsworth, because we moved around … a lot! Denton, Dukinfield, Carrbrook, Stalybridge, Hyde and Poynton are the places I remember. I went to six different schools. I am the eldest of four, with two brothers and a sister.

I nearly drowned when I was four, falling in the canal while my dad was fishing. I was hit by a car when I was seven … thrown in the air and unconscious for 48 hours. No broken bones, but a black eye.

I wasn’t brilliant at school but I was in the top half of the class … usually. At sixteen I passed all my ‘O’ Levels, but with only one Grade A, in Physics, which I have never used since, although I can still recite Ohm’s Law.

I had intended to stay on and do ‘A’ Levels, but my parents wanted me working and bringing in a wage. Not being prepared for the job market, I took what I could get. That was a job at an insurance company, and I attained my Associateship of the Chartered Insurance Institute at twenty-one. I have been in the insurance industry ever since. I won’t say how long, but if I was in the Police I would have retired by now on full pension.

I had several jobs in my 20s, even an abortive secondment to Oman which lasted just 12 days. Some years later, redundancy saw me move to London, where I worked for a Lloyd’s broker. After a move and a period away, I am now back there.

I live in Surrey and am currently single. I play football, badminton, table tennis and snooker. I also enjoy puzzles and TV – not soaps or reality TV though, give me a good cop show any day.