Andrew Houlston MSc

I grew up in a small village community in Devon, England. I left home at nineteen to join the Royal Air Force as an airfield technician, where my life significantly changed. Having been used to a close-knit and closed community lifestyle, I now ventured into the big wide world. After serving in the Air Force for nine years, I continued my career and post graduate qualification in technology, initially in defence and subsequently in commercial projects. This took me to many different places and cultures in our world.

I got married to the most amazing, beautiful, intelligent woman and we had three children together. Our children, who are now grown up and have families of their own, have been a great inspiration for my writing.

As I became older and wiser, I chose to spend some of my busy life reading science fiction and fantasy novels as a welcome break from the challenges of future technology. It inspired me to create imaginary worlds of my own based on pure imagination and my own life experiences. World full of interesting and divers characters facing problems that would not look out of place today in our world. I always wanted to write my own stories about these worlds, but there was never the time. After retiring from the fast-paced profession in the high-tech industry, I focused on finding a way for others to share those worlds with me. My story telling seemed an ideal way to do that.

As my writing progressed from its embryonic beginnings, it helped me to look outwardly rather than be consumed by my own troubles. I then realized that although life is hard, harder for some than others, there really is always hope. We live in precarious times now more than at any other time. Yet, through all the darkness, the worries and challenges that life throws at us, there is still a glimmer of light. If we can stand together through adversity, no matter how severe that is, then there is always hope that the glimmer becomes a beacon of light that outshines even the bleakest moments. This is a message that I recently realized I had been reflecting subconsciously in my stories.