a bit about me…
I’m a self published writer who launched my first book (a short novella) in the Spring of 2026.
After studying Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, I worked as an archaeologist, immersing myself in some of the history I’d spent so long learning about. In many ways it was a dream role, yet I found myself yearning for my own adventures. Now, as a qualified level two ski instructor, I spend my spare time writing down the stories that fill my head and challenging myself with endurance events in the name of mental health.
my writing
Time spent immersed in a good book has always felt like time well spent, more specifically the fantasy and historical fiction genres, and as such my imagination has always got the better of me.
Reading allows me to disassociate from the day to day and transport myself into entirely new worlds. It didn’t take long before I realised that people can’t get annoyed when I’m ignoring them by placing my head in a book rather than a phone and I relished the solitude it provided. Throughout my time reading, a few key authors have always stood out to me and I became fascinated with their presence both on and off the page. I have always enjoyed the passion and world building instilled in me by the fantasy greats such as J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Martin whilst grounding myself in more gritty and realistic settings as seen in the works of Ben Kane, Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow.
Having spent much of my life buried in books, I suppose it only natural that I found myself unravelling plots and coming to conclusions long before the writer ever concluded each story arc.
It was always my goal to figure out the story and in some cases plot out how my version would differ. I remember reading The Lord of the Rings and coming across a passage in which Faramir reflects on the motives and circumstances that may have led a young Haradrim warrior to his death. To me it seemed like a prompt from Tolkien himself, an invitation to explore the story of that young man and how he ended up where he did. I wish I still had what I came up with back then so I could see how my mind worked and reflect on my perspective then and now.
For me, writing has become an extension of the escapism I found in reading. For years now, a world has been growing in my mind and I can lose days figuring out the plots and building the lore, fully immersing myself in the universe I’ve created. Honestly that can be far more enjoyable than actually writing the story and at times I have to force myself to make conventional progress with writing the book.
I’ll be sharing deeper insights into the world and its lore on my Substack as the project develops, helping to ground the individual stories — but for now, here’s what you need to know.
Welcome to my world
I started out with a grand idea for a main series set in a fantasy world focused around the Roman inspired Latarii Republic/Empire in a classical era. In a Game of Thrones-esk fashion this will have numerous POV’s with many intricate and overlapping plots and story lines covering the breadth of the world. The series will dive into the politics and conflicts of nations whilst focusing on the history and secrets buried within its mythologies. This is still the long term goal, however, in my creation of this world I thought a smaller more focused prequil series would be a good test of my writing skills and a chance to expand my abilities.
As such the Colour of War series has been created, a planned trilogy of books detailing the adventures and trials of three characters who have significance in my later series as they fight for the future of the Red Isles. The first being Timaeus, a Latarii Tribune stranded upon the Isles and forced to create an alliance with the locals for their aid in returning to the Republic. Caleddin (Cal) second son to the Iscari King, Cal is challenged by the impending doom of his people and the capture of his twin sister. Lastly, Cei is captured by the enemy and forced into the service of the gods at the hands of the corrupt druids and must seek out her own path ahead. This first book A Red Tide, is in the final stages of editing and is hopefully going to be ready to explore publishing options shortly.
Now for my most recent work, The Legion of the Moon novella series. Empty Dawn started out as a simple experiment into self publishing to help see what options were available to me. A quick easy to read short story to test where I’m at with my writing and to begin to build up an audience for my later releases. It was however highly enjoyable to write and in doing so I now have the outline to subsequent novellas. This story follows Centurion Milo as he is dispatched to rescue a senior officer and in the process is thrown into the mythologies of his youth. Milo is confronted by a Lycan (Stylised on the Greek depiction of the Werewolf) who is hunting the Tribune who Milo was sent to rescue and finds himself the beasts new target.
Beyond the books
For the last few years after the loss of a beloved family member, I have had a big focus on mental health, both personally and for others.
Whilst writing is a good way for me to manage my own mental health, I have found that exercise, particularly bonkers endurance challenges to be a great way of rallying the community behind a specific cause. For me that has meant working closely with the charity Mind as well as other charities such as Macmillan, Calm, Poppy’s Fund and First Touch. This journey has taken me to events such as Half-Marathons, Marathons, Half Ironmans (Full one pending) and the pinicle events, Work Week; Seven days, Seven Marathons, Seven Diciplines. Work Week specifically has been a great source of pride for me, allowing me to work with many great people and lots of unique charities whilst substantually increasing the reach of who can witness and benefit from the my own journey with mental health. Challenging myself in such a manner has significantly benefited my physical and mental fitness and seeing the rippling effects of those people I have inspired and helped along the way has been a great joy for me. I have attached a link for those who would like to explore Work Week