Welcome to Mark my Words

Hi, I’m Mark

My new writing career really took off in 2017 when an excerpt from my memoir/travelogue, Final Approach: My Father and Other Turbulence, won me a trip to Sydney. Another extract from the book—about much more than just airports—was featured in the literary magazine Moxy. Since then, I’ve celebrated several successes, including self-publishing two children’s books. My work has found success in competitions such as The TLC Pen Factor Prize and the South Hams Short Story Prize, and featured in many publications.

During lockdown, I wrote and Alice Jowitt illustrated Brian the Barrington Bear, a children’s book that has received considerable acclaim and taken me to literary festivals and events. It’s available in audio, eBook, and hard copy formats. Following its success, I published a sequel Brian the Flying Bear!, and most recently, Final Approach was published by Claret Press.

Writing highlights include having my short story The Wall read by actor Adam Brody at the Interact Ruth Rendell Short Story prize giving at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, and Final Approach being a finalist in the Eyelands Book Awards and also named as a Book of the Year 2024 by the Psychogeographic Review. I’ve also shared my short stories at venues across the South West.

I’m currently working on my new novel, Can We Talk? and a collection of short stories, The Lost Shore.

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Order Your Copy of Final Approach: My Father and Other Turbulence

Final Approach explores the turbulent relationship between a jet-setting father and a plane-spotting son during the final years of the Golden Age of Flying in the 1970s. Raised in the midst of luxury, airports were my playground, filled with glamour and high-flying adventures. However, this opulence came with challenges—navigating the complexities of a multimillionaire father, luxury cars, private planes, and power struggles.

This half-memoir, half-travelogue is a poignant ode to plane spotting and a journey towards personal freedom. It’s the trip of a lifetime.

Take Your Seat and Buckle Up for Take-Off

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