Simon Gordon Wheeler

Simon was born in Bath, Somerset in 1950. He left King Edward's School (alumni include Thomas De Quincey and Bill Bailey) after completing "A" levels and spent a year working at the Bath Boating Company- running the boat hire side of the business and also helping with building rowing boats, punts, canoes, skiffs and racing fours. In 1969 Simon went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and trained to become a Drama teacher.

He spent the next 30 years or so teaching, working in England, Wales, the Irish Republic and southern California. Eventually Simon took early retirement from a post as Headteacher of a Pupil Referral Unit- a school for children with Emotional, Behavioural and Social difficulties who had been permanently excluded from mainstream schools.

He moved from NE Scotland and now lives by Wigtown (Scotland's National Book Town) in Dumfries & Galloway, South West Scotland .

Simon has an M.A. in education, specialising in Behaviour Management and an Advanced Diploma in Counselling from the University of Cambridge. He was a contributor to two academic books, has had several articles published in The Times Educational Supplement and won a short story competition run by Radio Leicester. He has appeared several times on local radio and television, also on national television on "The Time, the Place", a talk show hosted by John Stapleton. At one school he became known throughout the region for his work with visiting writers. He employed Barbara Machin as a Writer-in- Residence. Barbara won a BAFTA for "Casualty" and an international EMMY for "Waking the Dead". She has written and produced for many other series, too. Working together with a group of children they created and published a novel which was launched at the school by Ruth Rendell.

Simon's largely Celtic ancestry can be traced back through England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland; one of his forefathers was Sir Francis Drake.

His great grandfather was mayor of Bath, having started life as a plumber and later becoming owner of a large building company- and an internationally renowned water diviner.