My roots go back to a small estate deep in the Mountains of Mourne, near the Silent Valley, in County Down, Northern Ireland. This is the view from the back window of the farm house: An   The meadow and the ring of trees An I went to school in Dublin, drank way too much, studied English and history, then business, then IT at Oxford University. While a student, I worked as a kitchen porter in a club near the Bank of England. And A few years later I was announced into the main bar at the House of Commons. I was in the company of a famous Chelsea supporter. The champagne was flowing. After that I spent ten years working in the City of London, the creaking hub of world finance.  And Now I have three kids and a day job in IT marketing. I was first published by a school newspaper when I was ten, for a short story about aliens getting lost. The Istanbul Puzzle is my first novel to be published. And I am a member of the Irish Writing Centre, two “live” writing groups in Dublin and online writing communities in England and the States. My research has taken me all over the world, from San Francisco to deep in the Arab world. I like looking at the stars and listening to the stories of strangers. And    What keeps you going? I know it’s a cliche, but I dreamed of becoming a writer when I was a kid telling adventure stories to friends on my street. Two of those friends committed suicide before they reached the age of 21. Ireland was a place of repression, secrets and shame back then. It still is. I dedicate my writing to their memory. And When I’m not writing or looking after my family or at the gym you can find me walking on the beach if it’s summer, and if it’s not, in the wooded hills around Dublin listening to the forest. I like reading mysteries, learning secrets and stories that make me feel alive.

In 2007 I won the Outstanding Novel Submitted award at the Southern California writer’s conference. I flew back to Ireland on cloud 9999. It wasn’t about the money. There wasn’t any. It was about knowing I was on the right track. I missed the award ceremony and only found out after it was all over that the agents and editors attending had picked me.