School and university in England, National Service in Berlin. Messed about with accounting, advertising, then teaching (unqualified). Eventually qualified as a teacher, married Val, a Canadian, and decided to live in Canada. It was a challenge teaching Canadian and world history, none of which I had been taught myself - but learning by doing is always the best way to start new things. A bit tough on the kids, at first! Val and I have 3 children, all in their thirties and, collectively, parents of our four grandsons. My love of history has been life-long and is my main motivator as a writer. Other influences include an inherited keep-fit compulsion - from my dad - and a love of the outdoors - birdwatching everywhere, hiking in the Cairngorms and skiing, hiking and swimming in BC. We visit Britain often and I feel more mid-Atlantic as I age. Although a heathen, I cannot have enough of English cathedral choirs, and of some English pubs.

Major achievement: surviving 37 years in classrooms. Teaching is something for which there are few awards and from which you retire before you are certified. I am proud of having quit while it was still fun.