Upon being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I had to give up work and a lot of other things I used to do. But I did manage to take the opportunity of getting better after a couple years of suffering to take a year off to travel around Europe and North America with my wife. Of course I was still tired and looking for something to do while lounging around enjoying the view. Enter writing... I have always been a prolific writer in my job as a Software Engineer / Cognitive Scientist and making the leap to fiction has been a fun and exciting journey.
A Brief History
I grew up in the Royal Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire England. Now just known as the Forest of Dean, it was a lovely country childhood with my parents and two brothers. We were fairly well off; dad owned the local sawmill and mum taught Psychology in the local college after qualifying while bringing up my brothers and I. Skip on quite a few years and off I go to college, to study Psychology a-level with mum, as well as Computer Science and Maths.
Then University. I went farther, to Liverpool, with my girlfriend from college who I was never to leave - we are now married. I studied Psychology and Computer Science which I liked so much I carried on to get a Masters in Cognitive Science from Birmingham, which is like the two things combined. Then, I got a job as a software engineer in Bristol. So there I lived for the next 16 years, writing code, moving jobs occasionally, buying a house and getting married.
Enter Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Basically it is what it sounds like. Also called M.E. I get really tired, confused, grumpy and fed-up. It made me give up work, sport, fun, and life for a while. Still, as I wasn't working, the wife and I decided to go traveling. She managed to get a sabbatical from work and away we went. It was amazing. The new cities, the people, the countryside. All the walking, visiting, activities, brilliant.
While we were away, my wife took the opportunity to learn Italian while we were in the country and this left me with a gap. That with being fatigued, I needed something to do. I had tried to write a book the year leading up to our travels but being away gave me even more time to concentrate on this.
So I wrote, 'Xen'. Buoyed on, I carried on. Writing, 'Ego', 'Gam', half of 'Gam Over', and when I got back, 'Tom'.
That brings us up-to-date, with the creation of this site. I am still ill but have some energy, so am trying to make some money. Hence the site, I am letting people (you) know that I am here, writing books, selling books. I am almost back to full capacity and going back to work soon so I expect the book writing to dry up completely soon. So enjoy what there is, you never know; if a lot of people like them I might get to do that instead!
