Gordon S Dickson was born near Inverness, Scotland, but left there soon after when the family returned to Northern Ireland. He was educated at secondary and grammar schools and scraped through O-Level English. Essay writing was not a strong point. He was employed for many years in the civil service and is now retired. He has recently taken up writing novels. He enjoys reading, various genres, gardening and cinema, and of course writing. The Life and Times of Victoria-Ann Penny is his first children's story.