About the Author - Dean G E Matthews

I was born on a farm just outside Oxford, England, in 1961. My family and I have strong links to the land, meaning that I grew up with an inbred love of the countryside. However, it wasn’t to last. At the age of five me and my family had to move into the city. My love of fantasy and adventure blossomed as I listened to my English tutor read ‘The Hobbit’ over a series of afternoons; this inspired me to read many more books of this genre and to start writing my own short stories. At school I excelled in many sports as well as studying art, history and creative writing. On leaving school, and with no clear direction career wise, I thought about joining the Navy to satisfy my need to see the world. Before I could join, my love of motorbikes took over and I found another way of seeing the world without the discipline that would have accompanied the armed forces, extensively exploring the British Isle’s from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Whilst travelling, which included time working in Australia and Europe, I discovered new landscapes and varied cultures all of which now inspire my writing. Over the years, I’ve worked in a myriad of professions, but my passion for writing fantasy never left me. In my late twenties I decided to make use of my overactive imagination to write short stories on a borrowed second-hand typewriter. These stories included fantasy, science fiction and similar genres as well as stories about super heroes and monsters from the deep. Later in life I became interested in geography, geology, the environment and astronomy; all of which feature in my novels. In my free time I enjoy listening to music, a love that has followed me throughout my life. To keep fit I practiced Kenpo Karate, squash and table tennis. I also took up skiing. I considered writing a daily diary, but could never bring myself to do so as I preferred to live life rather than to write about it. Then fifteen years ago, I decided to write professionally and wrote my first book in the Foundation Stone series ‘The Dark Taal’. Like my star sign Aries, I am a positive, energetic and imaginative person. We as as mortals may make mistakes and have our setbacks, but we always come back fighting.’