<p>Richard Ayre was born in Northumberland and now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. At a very early age he discovered rock music, and at about the same time picked up his first James Herbert novel. The combination of these two magnificent things led him to write this novel. Richard has also written the sci-fi chiller Point of Contact, the short story collection A Hatful of shadows, as well as the upcoming sequel to Minstrel's Bargain, Minstrel's Renaissance. When not writing, Richard spends as much of his time as possible tootling around the countryside on his motorcycle, Tanya.</p>
