As I’ve said elsewhere, for me, writing isn’t ‘work’, it’s a passion. Chances are, if I’m not writing on the page, I’m busy writing in my head, maybe dreaming up a life for the people I see, scenario building, rehearsing questions for interviews and features... I started out in journalism many years ago, since when I’ve written features for a wide variety of magazines, including the gardening press, newspapers, the business sector, general interest magazines, and in recent years, the writing press. Over the years, I’ve interviewed some fine writers, including Roger McGough, Joanne Harris, Kate Long, Monica Ali, Kenneth Steven, and lots more besides. My first published fiction was a short story called Your Last Blue Joke, which appeared in The New Writer after being shortlisted in the last ever Ian St James Awards. (The competition never went on to final judging.) About to become his own angel won a 1st at the Winchester Festival. Budgerigars was awarded 2nd prize in Peninsular magazine, Ah Father... was published in US magazine Sniper Logic, and other stories, too many to mention, have either won awards or been published in fiction magazines in the UK, or overseas. At present, I am working on a book about the short story, but much of my time is taken up with other writing related work such as teaching or editing, so I seem to have less and less time for actual writing.