John D Christopher

Growing up in an Italian family living in Australia, I learned to speak Italian before I learned English. This irony motivated me to read everything that came into view, from cereal box blurbs to shop window advertising. Comic books were a big draw card, not only because of the amazing and colourful costumes the heroes were decked out in, but it made learning English so much easier as there were pictures accompanying the captions. I loved reading at an early age and as my comprehension skills matured my reading material advanced to books and novels. Whilst in elementary school I was tasked to write compositions (stories) which I relished. Even at this young age I found myself drawn to books based on horror stories and the supernatural. My bookcase was filled with works from authors such as Anne Rice, Dean Koontz and Stephen King amongst many others.

I always wanted to try my hand at writing but as frequently happens, life got in the way. I joined the New South Wale Police force (my version of the ‘Avengers’), got married and had a family. Having retired from the force, I found myself with ample time on my hands and after finishing my history degree I thought I would finally attempt this project that had been laying dormant in my head for decades. I have begun to write a prequel to Astrum Divinus and time will tell if I am able to complete it.