I had a story that I believed should be told. A story that followed our real life as we raised a son with additional complex needs.

Many who knew us urged me on to share our experiences and to let others know they are not alone in doing what we do.

Creating an awareness of often hidden disabilities was key. I wanted to do something to encourage society to understand what many people live with and to explain what difference just a little extra consideration can do to make the world just that little more inclusive.

Reviewed favourably by The National Autistic Society and receiving some very kind feedback, this was my introduction to writing and becoming an author.

“Experience both the heartbreaking and inspiring tale of Marc’s Garden, where this astonishing fatherly love becomes a beacon through the darkest of hours. His son, Marc, is born with severe epilepsy and is later diagnosed with autism. The doctors offer a serious prediction; Marc may not live beyond his childhood years. Struggling with devastating isolation and societal misunderstandings, he fights some overwhelming medical battles all alone. This touching memoir will take you to the raw reality of a world that seems to be too indifferent, and the incredible strength it takes to turn despair into hope.”

Available through Amazon, Bookshop.Org, Waterstones, Foyles, and all good booksellers as well as directly from Olympia Publishers, and is available as a paperback and eBook version.

As I wrote this book, a nonfiction memoir, I found myself considering so much more that needed saying. Though I explain about our son’s meltdowns, periods of unconsciousness, loss of memory and his biggest challenges through pain, anxiety and rage, I wanted to find a way of explaining better the dark places his mind goes, and to a degree, ours as well, as we strive endlessly to support him.

Born from these considerations, my second book, this time a work of fiction, gave me the freedom to expand on how I see his pain and ask the question, what if?

Strange Conflicts was the result.

All of it is a work of fiction, but the basis for the plot came from the struggle our son lives with day by day. Explained in detail in Marc’s Garden.

My son gave rise to my protagonist, Theo Sullivan, and his own struggles came out of my earlier book and our son’s experiences, and I let my mind go where my own hopes and fears drove my creativity.

Early feedback has been positive, so much so that I have written a sequel which will be available soon.

“What if the mind, tormented by pain, could travel to a place of healing and light? And what if that place was under threat? When Theo Sullivan’s seizures leave him unconscious, he wakes in a world of snow-covered lanes, candlelit chapels, and beings who seem to know him intimately. Here, in a realm beyond life, he learns that his journey is not yet over. As darkness encroaches and a loved one’s soul hangs in the balance, Theo must summon a courage he never knew he had. Inspired by a father’s own questions about his son’s suffering, Strange Conflicts weaves a heartfelt, thought-provoking tale of resilience, love, and the eternal battle between light and shadow.“

This book is available as an eBook and paperback through Amazon, Bookshop.Org, Waterstones, Foyles and all good booksellers as well as directly from Olympia Publishers.

This story gave rise to a sequel which will be published soon.

Theo Sullivan’s story continues where it left off in Strange Conflicts.

“Theo has survived the impossible. Now something impossible has followed him home.”

After a violent seizure and a medically induced coma, Theo wakes changed. He speaks of ancient names, sees through darkness, and carries memories no young adult could possess. For Natalie and Adam, the miracle of his survival becomes something far more terrifying, proof that their son is tied to a war older than time.

Demons are gathering. Realms are weakening. Lamashtu and Typhon want retribution, and Theo may be the only force standing between light and Chaos.

To protect him, his parents must accept a truth buried across lifetimes, they were never only his parents. They were chosen as his guardians.