Growing up in Newcastle in the 80s (that wonderful era of bad hair, worse clothes, the battle between Wham and Duran Duran, Rubik’s Cubes and Miami Vice), is probably at least partly to blame for my vivid imagination! I’m happily married to Vanessa and still living in the beautiful North-East of England just outside of Newcastle.  Rod is a full member of the Society of Authors.

The King of America (2006)

Sinema: The Northumberland Massacre (2007)

The Pit and the Pilot in Byker Books (2008)

Paranoid in Radgepacket Vol.1 (2008)

The King of America: Epic Edition (2009)

The Killing Moon (2009)

Some of the authors who have helped inspire me include Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Terry Pratchett, Hunter S Thompson, Cormac McCarthy, Jeff Long, Clive Barker, H G Wells, Edgar Allen Poe, Richard Matheson and James Herbert. The King of America, in particular, was, in part, influenced by Frank Herbert’s Dune, Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, J R R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and the phenomenon that is Star Wars.  Sinema is my attempt to delve into the darkness that is inside every one of us but.  With me being such a huge film fanatic, I felt it appropriate to intertwine madness with movies.  The Killing Moon is my homage to Mad Max, I am Legend and Escape from New York. 

Some of my other interests include weight-training and rock climbing as well as being – as I've already mentioned – a bit of a film fanatic. I have been trained as a close protection and surveillance specialist and am still an executive member of the Professional Bodyguard Association.  And yes, I do also love all the socialising stuff too, but let’s try not to turn this into a CV!

The great and sadly missed comic genius and profoundly (and profanely!) philosophical, Bill Hicks was and continues to be a strong influence on me.  Here's a link to his official website.

This is a great montage trailer on YouTube to the superb film, Children of Men (warning: swearing).

Some of my favourite music (I've got quite a varied taste...!)

Hazmat Modine (Bahamut), Johnny Cash (When the man comes around), Elvis Presley (In the Ghetto), Elvis Costello (Oliver's Army), The Jam (That's Entertainment), The Rolling Stones (Paint it Black), The Clash (Rock the Kasbah), ELO (Mr Blue Sky), Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Californication), Ray Lamontagne (Trouble), Joni Mitchell (Both Sides Now), The Prodigy (Mindfields), Ramstein (Du Hast), Rage Against the Machine (Wake Up), Pulp (Common People), The Cure (Pictures of you), Del Amitri (Kiss this thing goodbye), Deacon Blue (Dignity), Van Morrison (Brown Eyed Girl), Steelers Wheel (Stuck in the middle with you), Santana (Put your lights on), Barry McGuire (Eve of Destruction), Roy Orbison (Blue Bayou), The Cranberries (Dreams), David Bowie (Life on Mars), The Eagles (Hotel California), Nat King Cole (Nature Boy), Peter Sarstedt (Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)), The Bluebells (Young at Heart), Air Supply (Every Woman in the World), Squeeze (Labelled with Love), Then Jericho (Big Area), Carole King (So Far Away), Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon), Echo & The Bunnymen (The Killing Moon), America (A Horse with No Name), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah), Cat Stevens (Father and Son) and my favourite Christmas tune...of course, The Pogues featuring the late great Kirsty MacColl (Fairytale of New York).

Some absolute classic films:

Alien, Get Carter, The Italian Job, The Wild Geese, Zulu, A Bridge Too Far, Saving Private Ryan, The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Where Eagles Dare,  Apocalypse Now, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Matrix Trilogy, Blackhawk Down, Gladiator,  Jaws, Fargo, Pulp Fiction, Scarface, The Thing, Halloween, Terminator, Hero, Enter the Dragon, Dog Soldiers, 28 Days Later, American Werewolf in London, Key Largo, North by Northwest, The Warriors, Crash, Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sideways, It's a Wonderful Life, The Breakfast Club, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Life of Brian, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Grosse Point Blank, Ferris Buellers Day Off, 40 Year old Virgin, Dr Strangelove.

Quality Televison (a rarity in these days of reality and talent shows)

Life on Mars, Band of Brothers, Red Riding, Teachers, Coupling, Two Pints of Lager, Shameless, Cold Feet,  Dexter, Time Gentlemen Please, Two and a half Men.

Comic Geniuses:

Bill Hicks, Ricky Gervais, Lee Evans, Eddie Izzard, Al Murray, Bill Bailey, Michael McIntyre