Mark Roman is a retired research scientist who fritters away his time writing humorous science fiction. He lives in London, is married, and has two adult children. His three most recent books have been collections of SF stories – Sci-Fi Shorts, Sci-Fi Shorts II, and Sci-Fi Shorts III. The first two are also available as audio books narrated by the splendid Duncan Galloway of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra.

Frank Kusy is a professional travel writer with over thirty years experience in the field. He has written guides to India, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Of his first work, the travelogue Kevin and I in India (1986), the Sunday Tribune wrote: 'Relentlessly honest, refreshingly uncontrived, this diary really works!' Born in England (of Polish-Hungarian parents), Frank left Cardiff University for a career in journalism and worked for a while at the Financial Times. India is his first love, the only country he knows which improves on repeated viewings. He still visits for business and for pleasure at least once a year. He lives in Surrey, England, with his wacky but wonderful wife.

I live in Cheshire, England, and started writing as soon as I could jab a pencil at a piece of paper. Once I got past using binary characters, I wrote my first proper story about a huge tsunami hitting my primary school (ahead of my time, I know!), which was imaginative given that we lived 30 miles inland. I killed off the headmaster's daughter at the end, while saving family and friends, which of course led to my first bad review. I wrote my first novel in my late twenties - a rites of passage type of thing - and it was terrible. After that I wrote the opening to a Chandleresque detective story transposed to Northern England but gave up after seven chapters. Then I got married, had a family and didn't write another creative word for twelve years. My return to writing was a story for my children - 'Warwick The Wanderer and the Battle of the Bands' - and this will soon be my second book published through Amazon. After another lean period, I went back to my detective story, re-wrote the opening, got some invaluable feedback from the Authonomy community and spent a year completing the full manuscript. And so it came to pass that 'Weekend in Weighton' was finally published. Hope you enjoy it. Oh, one more thing, it's been emotional! Terry

Derryl Flynn grew up in a northern coal mining town in England during the fifties and sixties. He studied Film, Theatre & TV at Bradford College of Art in the early seventies where he developed a passion for writing drama for screenplay and radio. His two previous novels, The Albion and Scrapyard Blues were both published by Grinning Bandit Books. Derryl lives with his wife, on the edge of the moors and just a spit away from Bronte country (not a good idea if the wind’s in the wrong direction). He is currently working on a screenplay version of Scrapyard Blues. Precession - Pisces: Finalist in the 2014 Exeter Novel Prize for unpublished work.

Cherry Gregory was born and brought up on a farm in Nantwich, Cheshire. She studied law at Manchester University and later gained an M.Sc from Sheffield University. Over the years she has worked in law centres, youth clubs, schools and a playgroup. She lives on the Shropshire/Welsh border with her husband, Keith, and her daughter, Charlotte. Her hobbies include history, cycling and walking. Her first book, The Girl from Ithaca, tells the story of Neomene of Ithaca, younger sister of Odysseus, and reveals what Homer never knew: a woman's view of the Trojan War. Her second book, The Walls of Troy, continues the story as Neomene fights for survival in the Trojan War. Cherry has also written a book for children (aged 4-9) called Percy the High Flying Pig, also available on Grinning Bandit Books.

Maeve Sleibhin is an 80 kg Saanen goat of exceptional style and grace, who travels the world peripatetically with her husband Billy and their three kids, none of whom share her enthusiasm for Aristotelian philosophy, but none of whom have as of yet been able to escape the iron grasp of its implacable logic. Impending adolescence promises to be somewhat climactic (and in this regard we have some concerns for the impact of her daughter, Sybille, on all variants of Aristotelian syllogisms and their adherents). While awaiting her impending doom, Maeve appreciates a good glass of wine, some cheese, and wilted flowers of all varieties.

Having had a varied career from banking to biscuits, I am indulging my lifelong passion for uncovering the more incredible stories from history. Why waste time inventing plausible plots when with a little research you can uncover truly incredible characters and feats that actually existed. From the sailor who inspired the Aubrey and Hornblower books to a nautch dancer who became a wily warlord, had a man literally kill himself over her before becoming something of a catholic saint. History is full of amazing stories and in my books I try to do my bit to tell some of them in an entertaining way. When I thought of a vehicle to do so, the Flashman series from George MacDonald Fraser came to mind. Most of what I know of the Victorian era was prompted by his books. The concept of a fictional character witnessing and participating in real historical events, while not unique, has rarely been done better. While Harry Flashman might not have been a typical Victorian, he certainly brought the period to life. For me the Regency/Napoleonic era was one of even greater colour and extremes and so I have created a new earlier member of the family: Thomas Flashman. The characters are deliberately not identical but I hope that those who enjoyed the original Flashman series will enjoy Thomas' tales as well.