Hi, I’m Ben. I’m originally from Burnley, in the north of England but have been living in Co. Roscommon, Ireland since 2006.

I have four children, three of whom are autistic and due to their needs I left my job as a mental health nurse to be at home on a full-time basis. I rarely post about my home situation, but seeing as they are the centre of my life, I may use this blog as a cathartic space to ventilate my thoughts. My wife works as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist.

My plan for this blog is to mostly post about my interests, primarily my hobby of writing children’s stories. I hope to be published one day, and want this space as a journal documenting my progress in both writing, entering competitions and sending my work off to agents.

If I have the time and inclination, I may start writing reviews of children’s books. I like books that are of a paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi genre, full of heart and humour. Strong female characters and a moral compass aligned with my own will win me over. At the opposite end of the spectrum I adore those daft, surreal, stories full of farts and toilet humour. I’m a complex individual, so if anyone knows of a farts in spacestory, please let me know as I will buy it immediately.

Aside from children’s books, I’m a lifelong fan of Doctor Who and its influence is probably the strongest on my writing. The hero who doesn’t use weapons, who just wants to make the world a better place. Douglas Adams is my literary hero, so it’s unsurprising the episodes during his brief tenure are among my favourites.

The TV shows of my childhood, not only Doctor Who but the surreal majesty of Cosgrove Hall and their delightfully daft cartoons are the type of things I want to capture in my writing. I don’t think you ever experience anything the same way you do when you’re a kid. It stays with you, it shapes you.

Anything remotely Fortean will grab my attention, particularly cryptozoological and ideally Bigfoot related.

My other passion is music, and my musical heroes are Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The majority of my favourite artists are synthesiser-based, but OMD will always be my favourites. They are ace.

Also expect moaning about Burnley F.C., my battles with procrastination and weak-willed attempts to not download every pretty new app going.