They say that everyone has a novel in them - well, in late 2006, mine escaped and returned to the wild. I started to write Malifact just to see if I could actually do it, but ended up with a novel that I'm really quite proud of. Spanning Ancient Egypt, Medieval France and the present day, it was a labour of love as I researched the past to build a world in which Ankhta and his nemesis, the Canaanite sorcerer Shimon ben Joshua al-Saffir, could fight for possession of the malifact of Zekhen am-Meth.

So, what is the Malifact? Well, the quote above, (also on the back cover of the book), is Zekhen's description of the thing he created and I'm not going to spoil the surprise by elaborating - after all, I want you to buy the book!

But where did the story come from? I honestly don't know, but it grew from my study of Greek and Roman mythology and culture at school, coupled with my love of early 20th century American fantasy. Look closely in there and you'll find a tip of the hat, perchance, to the writers whose work I consumed as a teenager - Edgar Rice Burroughs, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E Howard, as well as, (of course), the quintessentially English J R R Tolkien. Add my love of Highlander and its Talmudic morality and you have a potent brew of influences from whence sprang - well, hopefully a ripping yarn and a good adventure. This isn't highbrow literature, dear reader, this is escapist fantasy.

So, I invite you to meet the assembled cast of characters, most of whom I had great fun writing, and join them as they twist history to suit the needs of the plot. Let me know if they treat you well.

P.S. You may find that the links on the right-hand side of the page to the book on lulu.com only work if you have created an account and logged in, as the book's content means that I couldn't, in good conscience, leave it unrated.