Tony

I received an education at an undistinguished private school in preparation for a respectable career as a minor civil servant. Despite my best efforts I passed the requisite exams, but in a crass act of youthful rebellion I rejected the fleshpots of university life, condemning myself to wander through the wilderness of corporate cubicle culture. Rightsized, downsized, and finally ostracised, I became a volunteer at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. The experience changed my life. I now live in a village in Yorkshire where I run a boarding cattery with my wife, surrounded by cats and dogs.

I first cut my writing teeth on an alternative school magazine, writing satirical articles and science fiction short stories. Work saw me churning out a seemingly endless round of user guides and training manuals. Escaping from the rat race was the key to rediscovering my love of writing. After experimenting with short stories in various genres I took an Open University creative writing course and it gave me the confidence to write my first novel, "A Negotiable Instrument".

My passion for all things Russian was first sparked by my love of chess, Russia’s domination of the chess world a mirror to its domination of the last century’s political landscape. A match for the Kent Junior team against a visiting Russian youth team gave a glimpse of the human dimension behind the faceless monolith depicted by the western media. I discovered Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Bulgakov, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. I study its history, specialising in the early years of the 20th century, fascinated by the contrasts and parallels with our own times.

In my spare time I watch as much rugby as I can, play chess on the web, take my dogs for long bracing walks, and spend far more money than is rational on Jazz CDs and trips to Opera North.