I was born in Nottingham in 1946 and spent most of my working life in the rail industry, from which I eventually retired in 2004, thus allowing me more time to devote to other interests. I have always had a passion for history, particularly the local history of Nottinghamshire, and this has greatly influenced my writing. My first book was a non-fiction local history book, The Chilwell Ghost – A New Investigation, first published in 1998, with reprints in 1999, 2000 and 2011. Whilst researching my family history, I became fascinated by the reality of the lives of ordinary people living and working in the slums of early 19th century Nottingham, where many of my own ancestors worked as framework knitters. This gave me the inspiration for my first work of fiction, Narrow Marsh. Published in 2008, it was an instant hit, being a best-seller at Waterstones in Nottingham. It has since been reprinted twice. The sequel, Leen Times was published in 2011 and is proving just as popular. I live in Chilwell with my wife, Carol, who is my fiercest critic, and, fortuitously, a most fastidious proof reader!