Some I.A.Q’s (Infrequently Asked Questions)

Q. Why WordHenge/WordDruid?
A. Perhaps (although probably not) because I was born in Wiltshire, I’ve always been a big fan of Stonehenge – it is one of my top five world heritage sites. When trying to think of a name for this site, and the WordDruid twitter feed, it just popped into my head as expressing the extremely pagan veneration and respect that I have for all things word-related. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to sacrifice a thesaurus to ensure my success as a writer…

Q. What have you written? Have I read any of it?
A. I have recently finished my first novel – it is called The Seventh Colour and at present it is one of about four and a half thousand submissions which Harper Voyager have received as part of an unsolicited submissions process. If it is not accepted by them, I am going to start putting it out to agents in early 2013. I also regularly write short stories, several of which are on the SFFWorld website. If you would like to read some of my writing, there is a short story here.

Q. What else do you do, when not writing?
A. Well, I have two sons aged (at the moment) six years and twenty months respectively. They seem to manage to fill up quite a lot of my spare time. I like watching sport (rugby union and formula 1 in particular), reading and playing piano. On my walk to and from work each day I listen to comedy podcasts and get some very strange looks from passers-by as I chuckle to myself.

Q. Tell us a bit more about these novels you’re writing?
A. The Seventh Colour is a post-modern epic fantasy set in the future of a world where magical races such as the Elven used to exist, but are no more. It explores (among other things) the idea of what would become of a world where magic was an historical fact, but known to be lost. It is also a detective story involving an Investigator called Tomas Callan.

I have two other potential projects on the go. One is a sequel to The Seventh Colour, the other is the first novel in an historical action/adventure series set in Elizabethan times.

Q. Why am I here?
A. In the existential sense, that is a question that each of us must answer for themselves. Defining one’s purposes and reasons for being is something that can take most people a life-time. In a more literal sense, it is because you clicked on the link “About Me” from my blog – having come there originally via a twitter link, or because you were looking for the Woodhenge in Wiltshire and did a typo.