A.J. Butcher has been aware of the power of words since avoiding a playground beating aged seven because he 'told good stories'. He's been trying to do the same thing ever since.

Writing serial stories at school which went on forever gave him a start (if not a finish). A degree in English Literature at Reading University kept him close to books while a subsequent career as an advertising copywriter was intended to keep him creative. As it seemed to be doing a better job of keeping him inebriated, he finally became an English teacher instead. He recently worked at a girls' grammar school in leafy Dorset, but now writes full time.

Influences that can be mentioned in polite company include Dickens and Orwell, though Stan Lee, creator of the great Marvel super-heroes, is also an inspirational figure. In what is laughingly termed his spare time, A.J. reads too many comics, listens to too many '70s records and rants about politics to anyone who'll listen.

When he was younger and fantasising about being a published author, he always imagined he'd invent a dashing, dynamic pseudonym for himself. Now that it's happened, however, he's sadly proven too vain for that. A.J. Butcher is his real and only name.

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