For the most part, life on the land in the harsh Australian Outback means plenty of time on your own and space to think.

 

It is against this backdrop that over the last fifteen years I have been able to find the inspiration and order my thoughts to formulate my stories.

Of course, there's a lot of research involved, together with the writing and the seemingly endless editing, but the most satisfying component has been the time alone thinking … dreaming up ideas. It is the loneliness and solitude that have fostered these ideas.

I find it joyful to give voice and emotion to each character and every scene as I work my way through a tale. Sometimes I can't get the words down onto paper quickly enough as I find myself compelled to push on with the story at the speed the thoughts are entering my head.

My key characters, like Bradley in 'The Greatest Life' and Robert in 'The Silver Dagger', are – to me – irrefutably real because I have lived and breathed them for years. They have been constructed in a way that demands your attention and allows events to unfold around them.

 

It is often just a voice or a line of dialogue or, simply, a name that sparks me into starting a new book. Thereafter, it evolves gradually, on occasions working its way to an ending that I had envisaged from the beginning. At other times, the end game doesn’t play out until it comes to me as I am literally writing what will become the last page.

While my stories are varied, my goals remain constant – to entertain, to surprise and to challenge you as a reader. I want to encourage you to read on, to turn the next page or reach for the next book. 

 

My first two novels – 'The Greatest Life' and ‘Dog Trap’ – tackle the great question of 'what if?' on many levels. They are based in the world that I call my own, a world filled with 'close calls' and 'near misses' that, at any time, may result in the sacrifice of the things that are the most precious.

'The Silver Dagger' is a work of pure fiction, with characters drawn from my over-active imagination. The protagonist is evil incarnate. His random acts of brutality carry incredible power.

In coming years I will be publishing more of my work, including novels, short stories, snippets known as ‘One page warriors’ and poetry. I plan to release a new novel at least once a year.

Enjoy. Happy reading.

Jame