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Alan Skinner

Goodreads Author

Born

Boston, The United States

Twitter

alanwskinner

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Influences

Umberto Eco, Marquez Gabriel Garcia, Thomas Hardy, George Eliot, Thoma ...more

Member Since

July 2010

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Writing and theatre have always been my great passions and I have been fortunate to have been able to keep both in my life - despite the many distractions that have led me astray over the years. So often we put aside those things most important to us while we attend to the ordinary demands of life, until one day we stumble across that neglected part of ourself and wonder how we came to neglect it for so long. All of us should remember that if something is worth dreaming about, it is worth acting on.

My first completed play, Daisy Chain (co-written with my daughter, Eryn) was produced in Melbourne in 2010. Before that, I had written Blue Fire and Ice and Furnaces of Forge, young fantasy novels that introduced readers to a unique and magical p Writing and theatre have always been my great passions and I have been fortunate to have been able to keep both in my life - despite the many distractions that have led me astray over the years. So often we put aside those things most important to us while we attend to the ordinary demands of life, until one day we stumble across that neglected part of ourself and wonder how we came to neglect it for so long. All of us should remember that if something is worth dreaming about, it is worth acting on.

My first completed play, Daisy Chain (co-written with my daughter, Eryn) was produced in Melbourne in 2010. Before that, I had written Blue Fire and Ice and Furnaces of Forge, young fantasy novels that introduced readers to a unique and magical place simply called The Land, with its assortment of delightful and special characters and the adventures that befall them.

After that came Brimstone, the first in the four-book series, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Its sequel, Hourglass is nearing completion. I am also completing a literary historical romp called Master Quickly. Oh, and I mustn't forget a children's picture storybook titled Buckle and the Pirate, with illustrations by the wonderful artist Serena Riglietti, who (among a great many other achievements) was the illustrator of the Italian edition of the Harry Potter books. Rather than release Buckle and the Pirate as a traditional book, I am planning to develop it into an interactive book app. Last, but not least, I have also done some freelance work, including an article for the Guardian books section.

Earning enough from my writing to keep body and soul well-nourished is a fine ambition. But, like many an author, simply being read beats everything else.

Everything worthwhile about an author is to be found within the pages of an author's books. But, for those who like a dash of trivia with their dose of literature, I can tell you that I was born in Boston. In 1964, my six siblings and I migrated to Australia - by coincidence, at exactly the same time as his parebts did the same. In 1991, I moved (without siblings or parents) back to Boston for a year, then to London (my spiritual and preferred home) where I established a consultancy in the City, offering advice to firms such as Barings, Legal and General, Lotus Corporation and Lloyds of London. There I stayed until that milestone year, 2000, when an offer from Credit Suisse drew me to Switzerland. From 2000-2005 I lived and worked in Zurich, and then again from 2008-2010, before returning to Melbourne to spend time with my family.

Rights to my book have been sold to Spain, Brazil and Vietnam. ...more

9 posts
Alan Skinner's Blog

Self-imposed exile

A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog announcing that I was forsaking social media; no more blogs and no more Twitter.

Goodreads wasn't included in my short list of exclusions. For a start, I'm not the best Goodreads role model: I don't post blogs here enough, nor do I add and review books as assiduously as I should. Besides, Goodreads is different; it isn't social media so much as a social notice Read more of this blog post »

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Published on July 17, 2013 18:08 • Tags: alan-skinner, bookmasque, brimstone, hourglass, master-quickly, social-media

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Alan Skinner’s books

Average rating: 3.7 · 404 ratings · 41 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Brimstone (Earth, Air, Fire and Water, #1) 3.75 avg rating — 301 ratings — published 2010 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blue Fire and Ice (Land’s Tale, #1) 3.42 avg rating — 79 ratings — published 2008 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Furnaces of Forge (Land’s Tale, #2) by Alan Skinner (Goodreads Author), Steve Crisp (Illustrator) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2009 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Muddle Book by Jasmine Wigley, Alan Skinner (Goodreads Author) 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1983	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Buckle and the Pirate really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Master Quickly really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The County Court Act, 1890: With Rules, Notes and Index 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The County Court Act, 1890: With Rules, Notes and Index 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Furnace of Forge 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Trials and Tribulations of a Nobody 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Alan Skinner…

Series by Alan Skinner

Lands Tales (2 books)
by

Alan Skinner (Goodreads Author),

Steve Crisp (Illustrator)

3.48 avg rating — 88 ratings

Alan is Currently Reading

Alan is currently reading

A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing

by Eimear McBride

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Jun 17, 2014 10:46PM

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If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler

by Italo Calvino

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Jun 17, 2014 10:45PM

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Tigerman

by Nick Harkaway (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 17, 2014 10:44PM

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Alan’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-4) post a comment »

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message 4: by Kim

Sep 29, 2013 02:35PM

Thank you for the friendship request. We have some interesting books and friends in common and I look forward to getting to know you through books.

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message 3: by Aloha

Sep 29, 2013 05:45AM

Hi Alan. Thank you for the friend invite. I thought I would forsake FB, but starting to find it useful in connecting with all the blogs, articles and other social media. It's also useful for connecting with all my old relations. Good luck with your writing and see you around!

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message 2: by Alan

Jan 20, 2013 12:06AM

Mariette wrote: "d Brimstone wants to know when the next in the series (Hourglass) will be out."

Mariette, I had planned it to be out by now but during the editing, I realised that I wasn't completely happy with it and it is undergoing a slight re-write, which I expect to finish very soon!

It's gratifying to know that you are looking forward to Hourglass enough to ask!

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message 1: by Mariette

Jan 19, 2013 03:47PM

d Brimstone wants to know when the next in the series (Hourglass) will be out.

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Alan Skinner

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