Born and educated in London, I attended a College of Education for teachers and obtained a teaching diploma, but decided to travel. I liked teaching English to foreign students, so I took a year's course in Christchurch College, Canterbury. Then I went abroad again to teach EFL. In Rapallo a scholastic publisher published several books of short fiction for students and activity books, which sold well. De Agostini took over the publisher, and more recently Mondadori has taken over from De Agostini in turn. I also had a story in book form published by OUP, "The Mystery of Allegra."

I married an Italian and we have a daughter.

I started to write novels and found agents, but had no luck, so decided to self-publish on Amazon Kindle. My novels include "Pisuktuk of the Arctic," the story of an ancient shaman who has wandered the Arctic for generations, which was shortlisted and received a commendation in this year's Marlowe and Christie novel prize; "Aurelie," a romance with a supernatural element set on the island of Alderney during the Nazi Occupation, its second part, "Jacquine," narrated by Aurelie's daughter, continuing the story to the present day; "Count Calabresi," concerning the discovery of two ancient Greek bronze statues off the coast of Calabria; "England No More," a dystopian tale of a future England under totalitarian rule; "Corinna Please Come Home," the story of a kidnapped young woman's tragic fate; and "One Fond Kiss." My memoir, "Battersea Boy: A Journey from Backstreet Boy to Writer," blends straight autobiographical narrative with letters written to my late father.

I am semi-retired and continuing to write and publish short stories, essays and poems, including "The Battle Goes On," a collection of essays and poems casting a critical eye on literature, culture and modern society, and "Tarantella," a collection of strange short stories.

I live in Bradford-on-Avon in the west of England, and enjoy travelling, reading widely, walking, and the cinema.