My first novel, "Rock And Roll Chldren," has been out for two years now. It is the story of 4 young men in the 1980s who are bonded by heavy metal music. They listen to the albums, go to the concerts and suffer the intolerance that many metalheads went through during that time. I was first inspired to write it after watching a tv music history show about 1983. The programme featured acts from that year like Duran Duran, Culture Club, Michael Jackson and The Thompson Twins. The only mention of rock was a 30 second slot on U2. This led me to say, "Wait a minute! I remember 1983 as the year Kiss came out of make up. The year Def Leppard broke through to America and other great metal acts such as Quiet Riot, The Scorpions and Dio. I decided right then that I needed to tell a story that enalbed metal heads like me to preserve their heavy metal history.

My other motivation for writing "Rock And Roll Children" was they way metalheads were treated back then. Because metalheads didn't conform to the edicts of 80s Reagan America, they were victimised and even discriminated against. Therefore, I thought it was important to mention that as well.

I am now finished writing my second novel and should be out around June, 2013. This one is not about heavy metal but a boy with Aspergers Syndrome who gets bullied to the point where he snaps and shoots up his school. The story will be based again on my own experiences. No, I never shot up a school, but when I read about such things, my initial reaction is usually, "That could have been me." I would like to name the actual town where I experienced the bullying in the story, but I am worried about law suits. I would be very appreciative for advice on this.

Well, that's me. I look forward to meeting many of you and chatting to you hear in the Author's Den.