DJ Tyrer is the man behind Atlantean Publishing which produces Monomyth, Awen, Bard, Garbaj and The Supplement, as well as various anthologies and chapbooks. He was also formerly non-fiction editor for Redsine. He is also a published fiction and non-fiction writer, games designer and poet with recent appearances in Quarry, Laughout, Chillout, Day By Day, Earthlove and the Medusa anthology from Hilltop Press. As you may expect his hobbies include reading, writing and gaming, as well as politics, mythology and theology. DJ Tyrer was born, raised and rather boringly still lives in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, although he did escape to Aberystwyth in Wales to study for his History degree and to learn (a little) Welsh. He has previously worked in education as a Learning Support Assistant and as an Adult Education Tutor and currently volunteers his time to charitable and community endeavours. He is fascinated by the illusion and reality of the male-female dichotomy that this competition is exploring in a lighthearted manner and is keen to see what will unfold!
Lewes-based freelance writer Valerie Ishii scooped her first prize for writing at 15 years old for her entry in a letter-writing competition. “I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I also believe that you need to have a few adventures in life to have something to write about,” she says. So, writing ambitions went on hold for a few years. After studying in the States, volunteering in Romania, and travelling around Europe, at age 22, she moved to Japan to teach English for a year. She ended up staying for six when she decided to marry and have a child there. On her return to the UK in 2000 she began writing stories based around the colourful characters and fascinating culture she’d encountered in Japan, eventually turning the material into a novel, No More Ginger, which won the 2006 Earlyworks Press/Royal Pictoria Novel Idea competition.
Valerie made the move into journalism when she joined the editorial team of an extreme sports magazine in 2003. She went on to be subeditor and a features writer, interviewing top paraglider pilots and reporting on flying events throughout Europe. Valerie is currently completing work on No More Ginger which is due to be published later this year.
Taff Lovesey was born in 1959 in the Welsh valleys but now resides in Lincolnshire. A fan of all things fantasy and inspired by writers such as Stephen Donaldson and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lovesey launched his Portal Chronicles series in 2006. Having recently turned away from corporate life, Lovesey now makes a living from a combination of IT support for home users, adult tuition in Lincolnshire and, of course, his writing.
"I bounced ideas off a fellow fantasy author for my second novel, The Shimmering Gate, and likewise she reciprocated for her current work. It did prove useful for both of us as there was definitely the occasional leaning towards a female/male view point and as we both have young male and female characters, and our books are aimed at both sexes, it was beneficial to share a slightly different viewpoint on ideas, attitudes and reactions.
That said I think the line between the two is drawing ever closer and in my chosen genre of fantasy, it is often difficult to tell whether a story was written by a man or a woman, but then why should it matter. More important to me is that I able to empathise with the characters of a story and that the plot is believable and stimulating."
I am Buddhist, born and brought up in Malaysia. My mother was religious and superstitious, while my father was an atheist without a care in the world. I have four brothers and a sister, and from a very young age I noticed the subtle difference in body and verbal language adopted and divided by the sexes.
I was educated in a Convent school, and taught by Irish nuns, the combination of which has further confirmed my belief that the female species has a distinct skill in word application that is quite unique. While I believe that men have the same feelings as women, they do not describe their feelings in the same manner and this is discernable in their writing.
I came to England in 1970 to train as a nurse, but the reality was I was running away from home. I am also a trained Counsellor, and I currently work in my local Community Hospital as a Senior Staff Nurse. I have wanted to write since I was thirteen, but obstacles of daily living got in the way, or perhaps it is fated that I have to earn my experiences of living this life before I put my thoughts on paper, so Brown Jade was born.
My book is fiction based in 1950s Malaysia, many of the events in the book were actual personal experiences while the characters in the book are fictitious.
I was
born, have lived, and hope to die a true bohemian - In the best possible meaning
of the expression.
Born in
But the
one constant in my life has always been my love of books. Big books, little
books, it just doesn’t matter. Neither does the gender of the author. To me,
it is the storytelling that counts. Not whether they stand up or sit down to
pee.
But does
gender automatically denote a type of writing style?
I think not. As a writer
myself, my style is often considered mannish. Could it be because I was raised
with three brothers and no sisters? I don’t know. I do know I have never been
a fan of “girly” books or even romantic sagas.
Give me a Jeff Deaver any day of the week!
With this
love of books and writing, I indulge myself by working within the publishing
industry. Having worked at a major publisher for over three years, I have now
struck out on my own as a freelance Copyright Clearance Consultant. (A fancy way
of saying I clear permissions for the use of published extracts in anthologies).
This work has me dealing with multiple publishers and authors on an astounding
assortment of books.
And for my
own sins, I have my first book in a fantasy series coming out next April. Shadow
of the Dragon is being published by Hodder & Stoughton. The titles of the
other books in the series have yet to manifest. But I don’t worry. I’ve got
time.