In my youth, I was plagued by certain autistic traits that made my life a misery and my schooldays the worst days of my life. Fortunately, I had an excellent family upbringing and I also found consolation in music and the countryside. My career was equally undistinguished – I worked throughout for firms of chartered accountants. I chose this course specifically because I would meet people.
The person who saved me from myself was my wife, Viv. Together, we have raised two sons and I was given a purpose in life. Although my head was always full of ideas, I didn't think it possible to write them down – one of my characters has graphophobia. It wasn't until 1999, at the age of 57, that I attempted to create a novel.
Like other novelists, I do write from a personal perspective. If everyone wrote in the same way, literature would become very dull. My quirky fantasy world doesn't appeal to Viv, so it isn't for everybody. The Ferry Girl was my fourth novel. Now I've completed nine and I'm working on another. How I'll get on with this I don't know, as I've given myself a lot of revising to do. I've also written a series of five children's books.