J C H RigbyPrior to his SF novel series set in the galaxy of The Deep Wide Black, JCH Rigby (Charlie) wrote well-received short stories and professionally-performed plays, on subjects as diverse as a comedy about a mediaeval bishop who takes up piracy, and a sairical near-future in which motorbikes are forbidden until a covert brotherhood of bikers reclaim their ancient freedoms. In the 1990s he published and edited the Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine Far Point. Later, he developed Nano Futures, mini short stories which distil SF tropes into one hundred words. After Ampleforth and Oxford, Charlie served with the Royal Air Force Regiment in Cold War West Germany, in Northern Ireland, in Cyprus and in the Falkland Islands. When his first military exercise was launched, he watched from underneath his steel helmet as a squadron of Vulcan bombers scrambled from a Cambridgeshire runway. There and then, he knew he'd made the right career choice. The big boys' toy box thrills continued with Scorpion and Spartan light armoured vehicles, cross-country motorbikes, helicopters, Hercules transport aircraft and a huge range of things which went bang, generally when they were intended to. Much of the rest of his service seemed to involve carrying heavy things while running, generally in bad weather. He subsequently worked in the print industry and in publishing. Born in Newcastle, he lives in Grantham, Lincolnshire, with his extremely tolerant wife and the world's fastest Labrador retriever. Father to three daughters, he is joyously surrounded by smart and wonderful women. Read More Read Less