About me

I spent several years working for the BBC at Pebble Mill, working in both radio and television for various programmes, but always rather hankered after doing a bit of writing.

Early signs had been promising. I'd enjoyed my first publishing success at the age of 7 when I won a short story competition in the Birmingham Post and appeared on ITVs Tingha and Tucker show to read it. Those of you of a certain age will know the programme; the rest of you will have to look it up (I think the programme schedules are the poorer for the lack of it now; bring back Belle & Sebastian, White Horses and Robinson Crusoe, I say).

When the opportunity arose, I left the Beeb and started work as an account manager and copywriter (which I still do) for an ad agency, where I learnt how to use a computer (Apple), met the chaps who were to go on and form the wonderful company responsible for designing this website (a trouble halved), before becoming freelance and had to re-learn how to use a computer all over again (PC this time).

The opportunity to write an actual book came when my friend, Alex Fraser, who is Creative Director at Maverick TV, approached me about getting a tv tie-in book for Maverick's Trade Secrets series. Before I knew it, we had several published and the writing career 'proper' had begun. Trade Secrets has gone on to sell over 60,000 copies (but no, I am not a tax exile. It was a co-authored book on which the BBC received a healthy royalty themselves. Still, they did earn out their advances which is always a good sign).

Since then, I've co-authored the 10 Years Younger Nutrition Bible (aged 20 years while writing it thanks to the tight deadline and microwave meals eaten while trying to meet said deadline), How To Get on A TV Show and How To Get Published (part of Hodder Education's Teach Yourself series).

The latest book, The Writer's Guide to Good Style, has just come out. Finally, I think I have sorted out my dangling modifiers.