I’m not keen on this part, because I tend to be someone who hides away from the limelight (clearly not true). So, I’ve waded through the web, and the layout of the information below is basically adapted from one of the millions of Robert Pattinson fan sites. (Ermm, who would have thought he needed more than one?)

Name: Dante Harker (I’d like to claim that I was born with this name, but sadly I had to steal it off of a pensioner – she’s dead now).

Height: 6 foot – or at least I used to be, in my special shoes, which I’d had for years! Until Alex crept down in the night and burnt them as a sacrifice to the orthopaedic fairy!

Born: At home, in a dark, almost black, mining village, which like the black mountains in Wales is not actually black. (There is a very cool story about my birth, it involves angels – I’ll blog it sometime). So, I was born somewhere in the north of England, near Sheffield, though not near enough that I have a case of the de-dars i.e. ‘Dhey don’t do dat, do day?’.

Favourite food: Hard to say, my taste buds are a little lacking so I tend to just shovel food in – not really big on the tasting part!

Favourite drink: Diet cola, I would have this stuff pumped into my veins if that were legal!

Pets: No. My sister got me a hamster, but she posted it to me and after she’d hit it with a hammer to get it in the envelope, it wasn’t much use.

Pet hates: The fact that I can never spell ‘favourite’ or ‘available’ – what’s that about? Or that people can’t answer more than one question at a time if you put several into emails.

Writings: This website and Deferredlife.com (the latter has a blog which is hopefully updated every Friday) are the focus of my online work. My first novel ‘Hell Unleashed’ (not yet published – not enough commas), ‘Therapy’ (better now it has enough commas), Tarnished Knight – fun tale of being single at 30 and The Ten Commandments, a collection of  stories, dark comic tales, each breaking one of the commandments.

I am now writing a fortnightly travel column for The Lombok Guide and I am a regular contributor to The Journey magazine.

I have recently finished a book on Gay Dating for the Modern Man. Plus, I am a third of the way through my 5th novel.

Random Essays: I am obsessed with the idea of what makes a “good life” and the ways in which we can live it. So far I have written two renting existential essays on the subject.

A touch existential - written in the middle of the night in Thailand
Living Life - Not an easy thing when you’re trying to follow one of lives golden rules.

All current projects will be listed here.

Work: Hard to say, other than I work really hard on whatever my mind locks on to!

So far I’ve been a: a landscape gardener, garden centre worker, Rentokil Plant Technician (looking after house plants), Befriending Co-ordinator, Director of a Mental Health Charity, Private Counsellor and Counselling Tutor at University, hypnotherapist, NLP Master Practitioner, Fundraising Manager, Student Placement Manager, Manchester Team and Regional Fundraising Manger for The Big Issue (my longest job title yet).

I am now a diving instructor – yay! I run with Alex, Karang Divers, a cute little dive shop on the tiny island of Gili Air, Indonesia.

I am also currently being paid as a web designer, writer, columnist (not paid but I like the title) and travel writer. So my job title changes depending on what time of day you ask me

Countries Visited: UK (England, Scotland and Wales), France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland, Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (including Komodo Island), Philippines, Australia, North America, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Ireland and The Vatican.

Place I’d most like to visit: Hard to say, the world is such a big and exciting place. I would guess it’s a toss up between Bora Bora – or Madagascar – I really want to see all those cartoon animals!

Novels

Click the links to read the first page of my novels:

• The Ten Commandments
• Tarnished Knight
• Therapy

Non Fiction

 This is my latest book. It’s based on work I did while working for the LGBT centre in Manchester (UK). Many of the guys who came to see me had the same issues around dating.
This book sets out to address some of these issues and help gay men find that perfect someone. The book has a plan of action. It’s a How to guide to help gay men deal with the often difficult dating arena.

View chapter list here.

You can buy this book here. In the next few weeks you’ll find it on sale in all major online outlets.

Essays

Stop deferring – a different way to look at how you can lead a life
A touch existential - written in the middle
of the night in Thailand
Living Life - Not an easy thing when you’re
trying to follow one of lives golden rules.

I am currently working on a novel that I imaginatively call Thailand. I am about 30,000 words in and would guess this is about a third of it done.

It is the story of three very different thirty-somethings who go to Thailand to teach English. A posh voluntourist paying to teach, a volunteer escaping a painful divorce and a reprogrammed gay man who has been sent by his minister and wife to develop internal strength – an interesting mix to write about and of course, hopefully, read about.

I am writing fortnightly for The Lombok Guide. This is a ‘what’s it like living on a tropical island’ kind of column. Interestingly, though I’m being mild mannered in the column I’m still managing to offend – fun times.

The Journey is a new travel magazine for Indonesia which I’ve written a few pieces for and hope to write more.

Plus, I am writing something about character types, because the older I get the more people seem to fall into one of about a maximum ten.

I am always interested in writing articles and love seeing my work in print. If you work for a magazine or paper, drop in an email, I’m sure I’d love to write something. Most of the time I do this for free because I’m a crazed egotist who likes to see his name in print!

Also, if you are an agent or publisher it would be great to hear from you too. Contact Me.

You can find me in all the usual online places, or drop me an email using the form below:

Say hello, publish my work, ask a question, it’s all good.