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It's hard to imagine I know, but I was born in 1950, somewhere in Ethelbert Road, Canterbury, Kent, England. After being slapped, fed and given a few days to get over the shock, I was transferred to 47 Roper Road, my first home in that same city. My mother and father also lived there, which was quite nice. Sadly I didn't even get to go to school there. I moved some forty miles away to Tonbridge, in March 1955. It was here that I attended Cage Green Primary School, enjoyed the company of some great kids, kissed the girls and started my first book (more or less in that order). In 2003 I finished the book. It took a mere 45 years to complete. This was a fantasy entitled 'Wumpleberries and Gronglenuts'. Naturally one or two other things happened in between. I became a teacher and lived in about thirteen different places in the U.K. and overseas. Since 1999 I have lived in Tenerife, Mexico, Paris (France), Chile and the USA. I lived in Houston, Texas from February 2004 and have been writing fulltime since then. It was early in this period that I also developed a passion for poetry. I returned to Devon, U.K. in October 2007.
Below are some of my literary achievements since becoming a fulltime writer. To the left are some photos from places I have visited around the world.
I have...
won £1000 as winner of the 2005 Chapter One Promotions annual poetry competition and £500 as runner up in the 2009 competition.
Won the 2006 Lucie Wood Poetry Contest.
Been the runner up in the 2005 Into Africa Poetry Competition.
Won 3rd Place in the Torriano Poetry Competition 2009.
Been highly Commended in the 2005 Momaya Press Short Story Competition.
Been highly Commended in the 2006 Ware Open Poetry Competition.
Been Specially Commended in the 2008 and 2009 Welsh Poetry Competition.
Been Specially Commended in the 2009 Sentinel Literary Quarterly Competition.
Long-listed for the 2008 Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year
Been nominated for a 2006 Pushcart Prize
Twice judged the El Paso Writers Poetry Competition
Started the online quarterly poetry journal Words Myth
Has two books of poetry published
1) Ladies of Divided Twins (Erbacce Press)
2) Vermeer's Corner (Foothills Publishing)
Been accepted into the Poets & Writers Directory of American Poets and Writers.
Had poems or short stories accepted in the following anthologies:-
101 Poets For a Cornish Assembly - Edited by Les Merton
(Boho Press)
Just Bite Me
Big Land, Big Sky, Big Hair--Best of the Texas Poetry Calendar
People of a Few Words
Become a member of the Academy of American Poets, The Poetry Society of Texas and Poets Northwest (a Houston chapter).
Become a committee member of the Moor Poets, centred on Dartmoor, England.
Had Children's fantasy novel, 'Chester and the Green Pig' published, and the sequel, 'Chester and the Spell Breaker' accepted for publication.
Been featured in the May 2008 issue of Devon Today magazine.
Pages and poems on the Poetry PF site.
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