Ian Colquhoun

Ian has spent most of his life in Livingston and Edinburgh. Severely disabled since the age of 24, he is a keen Hibs fan and military historian.

"I became an author almost by accident - something horrid happened to me and I was asked to write a memoir about it, so I did, and in the process realised that I still had good writing ability. That , coupled with going to university in my mid 20's, changed everything. I worked in warehousing for 8 years prior to becoming disabled and starting my literary career, I enjoyed warehousing, especially the banter and practical jokes, but don't really miss the job".

Ian cites a broad range of literary and other influences on his writing.

"These days I don't read as much as I perhaps should. I like Bernard Cornwell and Irvine Welsh's books, Cornwell's historical novels always have a great formula, while Irvine Welsh's books kept me reading when I was a younger man who would have been bored by anything else, but asides them, I only really read factual books now. Beau Geste by PC Wren, Culloden by John Prebble and The Four Feathers by AEW Mason were the books I read and loved as a child which gave me an interest in history. I'd also say that The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Das Kapital, Leviathan, Lord Of The Rings, the Narnia series, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations and The Bible have been influential at various stages of my life."