Derek Farmer was brought up in a mining village in South Yorkshire and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. It wasn’t long before he joined his wife, Jan, in the teaching profession, where he taught mathematics. He quickly became Head of Maths in a secondary school and this is where his adventures into publishing began. He wanted to combine the traditional material of maths with a motivational style of presentation. Subsequently, he had a series of three text books published. This encouraged him to carry on writing, but a text book series is a one-off and so Derek felt the need to explore other avenues. He joined a writing class at a local college and began to write fiction. Unfortunately, a busy lifestyle curtailed his writing ambitions while raising his family, but Derek’s love of writing was reignited when the next generation appeared and he started inventing stories for his three grandchildren.
Derek believes that every child should be encouraged to explore their imagination to the wildest, possible extreme, before the reality and responsibility of adulthood encroach. What better way than through fantasy fiction?
Derek enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors, playing tennis, bowls and swimming. He is also an enthusiastic railway modeller, but above all, he just loves it when the grandkids come to stay!