As a novelist, the vibrant and fast-changing social and cultural landscape of 1960s Britain has inspired my writing. I focus on the Mod subculture as an introductory backdrop to the lives of the central protagonists before their careers take off in London’s fashion world. The series follows their lives, capturing their spirit of change, rebellion, determination, and self-expression that defined the era.
 
My writing delves into themes of identity, fame, class division, and the impact of societal norms on people's lives, blending psychological depth with existential questions. Influenced by the music, the fashion world, and social movements of the time, my novels explore the deeper complexities of inter-personal relationships, individual freedom, and the transformation of the protagonists set within the historical events of the time. My aim is to provoke thought and evoke emotion through a multi-layered, character-driven narrative based on my experiences of living through that decade as a young man. My novels offer both nostalgic and thought-provoking individual journeys during a transformative period of history.
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My long and winding road as a writer and author
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"When I was twenty-one or so I wrote a two act play that was performed over three nights. That was back in 1970. It was called 'The Golem'. At the time I was obsessed with playwrights like Beckett and Ionesco, especially the latter and others of that persuasion. I was also obsessed with the notion that I wanted to be a (great) paperback writer. (Listen to the Beatles lyrics of the song 'Paperback writer' and you'll soon get the picture). Well, no matter how hard I tried to be one, all that flowed from the pen end was garbage. There were many futile first page attempts on my Olivetti portable typewriter. (I thought the typewriter keys might be mightier than the pen). The waste basket ate up all my efforts. In the end, frustrated, I gave up the dream. It's taken retirement to revive the muse and finally, as if by magic, to write that first novel of seven.
 
It began when I wrote an opening chapter and spent two years refining it. Then stopped. A year later I wrote another two chapters. Then I restarted and didn't stop until the magic words 'The End (of Book One)' finally appeared 113,000 words later. That turned out to be the easy part. The revisions and editing went on for what felt as though it was a never ending ordeal, a kind of trial by defective spell and grammar checker. Still, it was done. If you're a fellow scribbler/writer/wannabe author then you'll know by now that was the easy bit. The rejections from agents and publishers is subject matter for another time... So at my then age of sixty-eight I ventured down a route that's probably going to takeaway time from writing to acting as my own agent, publisher and publicist (as well as anything else that's going to arise en route).
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So why did I even bother to start writing? I could quite happily be vegetating in front of the TV, listening to my music collection, and reading other peoples paperback scribbling as I wend my way to the big sleep. There is an answer, and it is to be found in the early days of the summer of 1966 when as a sixteen year old my life was shaped by the life I began to live. I became a full paid member of that teenage sub-culture called The Mods, not realising it was going to have life long impact on who I became.  Among Mods there is a truism: 'Once a Mod, always a Mod'. We are our choices - and mine have shaped my life and writing.
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