J.D. Roberts

I was born in the UK, but my passion for travelling has taken me all around the world, working in China, Chile, and Nepal, before finally settling in Fremantle, Perth, Western Australia.

I've worked in not for profits for most of my working life, originally in London, then running a coral reef charity on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, before settling into a more sensible role helping to manage the state finances in the Western Australian Treasury.

I've read obsessively since finishing my first book, 'Noddy Goes to Toyland', over thirty years ago, and have been writing in an unruly manner for over a decade. Merlin’s Legacy is the first book that I've actually finished, with the sequel Smugglers’ Storm my second!

I just wanted to write my own version of what I considered a perfect kid’s book (it quickly turned into a series despite my initial firm resistance). I wanted to write a book full of magical adventure, a page-turner with a strong plot and unexpected twists, a book that made kids jump up and down on their beds with uncontrollable excitement, as I used to do (and still do very occasionally).

The books are set in Cornwall, a place where I spent a lot of my childhood and which I have always found so magical. I wanted a book that brought out all the magic of this world, but also one which has its feet firmly planted in the realities of our world. The story alternates between the fantasy world of Kernow (Cornish for Cornwall) and today’s Cornwall. In Kernow, the old myths of Cornwall are well and truly alive. Knights flounce around in the Hundreds run by the Nobles, whilst Druids hold rituals to the pagan gods and goddesses in moonlit stone‑circles, smugglers sneak in and out of foggy bays, and young wizards are taught at Ambrosius Academy, founded by Merlin himself.

For me, it's all about creating excitement and magical feelings for kids and adults alike. We all need to escape from the everyday life now and again and this is what I hope to do! Any comments/feedback/complaints/compliments are most gladly received!