About

If you’re reading this, then the following three people are to blame; Anna Sewell, Alexander Dumas and Ursula LeGuin.

They are the three who ignited not only my love of books and reading, but my love of the fantastic as well. When I discovered Tolkien and Stan Lee around the same time, which was when the floodgates well and truly opened.

Having now listed my influences, it becomes a little obvious that this writer’s journey of mine has been a long one. Not an unfulfilling one by any means, and not one without some small successes along the way, but it has been a road well-travelled.

My first memories of wanting to be a writer/author are of scripting my one comic books in a small cubby-house out the side of my family home. The X-men were my inspiration at the time. It wasn’t until much later in life that I made the connection that I was probably drawn to them because they were outcasts and didn’t fit in with what was considered normal.

In high school I narrowed my career path down to three options; comic book writer, drummer for a successful heavy metal/hard rock band, or archaeologist. Heedless to say, none of those aspirations came to pass, not in full anyway.

My first job out of high school was that of a pastry cook’s assistant. That lasted around six months before I applied for the position of store assistant at a large record store in Melbourne called Allen’s Music. From there I ended up working in and managing a couple of independent record stores for the next few years. I figured if I wasn’t good enough to make the music, I could at least sell it and help promote it.

After doing this for a while, I made the decision to leave managing record stores and find myself a career. It was then that I enrolled in teacher’s college. For the next thirty years I worked as a primary school teacher. During this time I began to specialise in working with children with social disorders, as well as those considered Gifted or Talented. It was also during this period of my life I discovered the joy of role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons.

Finding Dungeons and Dragons, and those who played it was akin to finding my tribe. I finally found somewhere I fitted in. More than that, after laying dormant for so many years, I discovered an outlet for my desire to write. In addition to authoring many role=playing scenarios for conventions both in Australia and abroad, I have also had several published by major role-playing game companies.

But back to the journey…

After many years of primary teaching and a growing frustration of the administration involved in the occupation, (but not in the desire to teach), I took early retirement and fulfilled another passion from my younger years. I opened a comic book shop.

Heroes HQ opened in Ballarat, Victoria, on April 26 th , 2012. Much like my attempt at becoming a rock god and selling records rather than making them, the same now held true for comics. Heroes HQ was nominated for a prestigious Eisner Comic retailer Award in only its second year of operation. This was due mainly to us (my wife and I) not just making it a store to by comics and pop culture from, but by also making it a place where those who felt a little out of place in the ‘real’ world could find a modicum of acceptance and serenity.

The store has been sold now, but continues to operate under new owners. And so I come to my next-to-last career transition. I now work as a Children’s and Youth Librarian, a role that enables me to weave together my passion for books/graphic novels, music, role-playing games and teaching into one single occupation.

With my first full novel, Crowhand, set to be published in the near future who knows where the road
of life will now lead me.