In 2010 I wrote my first YA novel 'Running'. An instant success in paperback it took me to over 100 book signing events at Waterstones and secondary schools.
The first person who reviewed it was a 'granddad'. He objected to my spelling the word garage as 'garidge' but loved the story. A thriller, in which Europe are top dog, and England reduced to island status, the US have been ostracized for inadvertently creating an nuclear explosion which took out Iran. It has also suffered a major earthquake along the Saint Andreas fault.
The story about a powerful computer virus, capable of penetrating any system and stealing its secrets, has produced some memorable characters, in particular Sean Terry, a world-weary FBI agent determined to prove the US innocent of all charges. And, surprising a red Suzuki 1000cc motor bike. My cousin was given Running by his children for Christmas. Meeting up at a funeral, he asked how I knew about motorbikes? I confessed to riding pillion on a great monster of a bike when I was a kid.
The bike is an appropriate metaphor as the story voyages from London to California, Cornwall to Scotland, finishing up in Lisse in Holland.

What surprises me is how much of the book is relevant to our politics today. I read somewhere that a computer virus was secretly used to discover the nuclear programme of Iran. Is the UK being reduced to an island status? Is Europe top dog? And what about the US with an election coming up? All the ball are in the air.

Running has now made it onto ebooks with the sequel, Turning Point (also in paperback) appearing shortly.