R. C. S. HUTCHING

According to his website: "I am very happily married to a wonderful woman possessing the patience of a saint. I have during my lifetime fathered five children. I have five grandchildren and there is always a chance that this number will increase. I still have a twenty-one-year-old son at home who, at 6' 2" is now significantly taller than me and not only keeps my wife and I on our toes but also straightens me out when I make mistakes on my website.

I live in England and I do not imagine that will ever change.

I started writing purely as an attempt to indulge in a hobby that was not solely passive in the manner of collecting. Although I am a collector by nature, I needed to feel that I had the ability to create something - rather than just assemble or admire what others had already produced. I've no musical skills, nor am I one of those clever people who can paint, sculpt, or build things - so the field was rather limited. I have always been an avid reader, with a particular love of adventure and mystery stories, so I thought I would have a crack at reversing the position and see if I could put together something that I at least thought was readable.

Writing novels means that I can travel anywhere, either in the present day or back through time. It is a freedom I fully indulge and knowing that someone else has been entertained by one of my efforts is a wonderful feeling. It fulfils those idle thoughts of younger years - 'one day perhaps I could write a book.'"