Author | Author

THE AUTHOR

My story

My name is now Alyson Mountjoy, but I was born Alyson Roberts (for those who know me by that name). I was lucky enough to grow up in Gowerton, a small town near Swansea in South Wales which was, at that time, still a village; a special place full of warm, kind people and happy memories. I completed my honours degree in Welsh at the University of Wales in Swansea. It stands between the park and the bay that I love. I spent my happy, formative years with good friends, many of whom I'm grateful to still have in my life to this day, many years later. As I hope my books will show, love is eternal, and true friendship lasts a lifetime, wherever we are.

Having moved around a lot since then, I gained many years of experience in administration in the NHS and local government, and in supporting children with additional needs. I used this experience to then become a writer and desktop publisher of educational literacy resources and fiction for children aged 5-16, and horror fiction for young adults. It was years later that I started writing my first novel.

How the series began

"The Marlin Chronicles" series started almost by accident, with an experience that took place in 1989 in a small coastal village in Cornwall, an event which I later used as the basis for a short story. Authors are advised to write what they know. Having had many other unusual experiences in my life of the paranormal variety, rather than writing a straightforward autobiography I chose to combine them with fiction. So, I created a semi-autobiographical alter-ego, Stephanie Meares, who became the heroine of my book, Strangely, it seemed to write itself with little help from me and, in just four weeks, "Mother of Marlin" was born. After the first book, I realised that Stephanie's story was far from over. The next book took only six weeks, and "The Marlin Chronicles" continued from there.

The series is set in Cornwall, where it all began, in the fictional seaside village of Marlin. Although loosely employing the cosy mystery writing style, this series is anything but cosy. Be warned: there is creepiness in large quantities, with crime and horror, scenes of peril, and occasional violence. But there is nothing too gratuitous or gory, and the emphasis is always on the spooky and the magical.

I try to write books of the sort that I love to read, with beautiful locations steeped in history, realistic characters who learn and grow, paranormal events, mysteries to solve, a fright or two along the way, and a touch or two of artistic licence. Tales of love and friendship. I hope I have succeeded, and that you will come to love the characters and their experiences as much as I do.

While writing the books, I will admit that some of my memories brought back chills, and some scenes still reduce me to tears every time I read them. But many brought me joy in remembering them. I hope that it all comes across as you read them.

What came next...

As I finished writing the first book, I realised that Stephanie's story was far from over. So "The Marlin Chronicles" was created to continue following her journey. Marlin has a magical hold on me: if I'm away too long it calls me back, which is why I keep writing more sequels. It's like my second home: my happy place. I hope you will join me on this journey as I find out what life has in store for her in this special village by the sea. Sometimes it surprises even me.

The characters and many of the places are fictitious, as is much of the stories, but the rollercoaster of emotions is all too real. I hope my books inspire you to write one of your own..We all have a story to tell, whether real or imagined. If I can do it, so can you

Other books

In addition to "The Marlin Chronicles" series of novels and novellas, I have also written two non-fiction books about the complex neurological condition Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). As founder and chair of the voluntary organisation APD Support UK, the books reflect over twenty years of my experiences and ongoing research while supporting individuals and families affected by this disabling condition and providing accurate information on the topic.

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