John Alex Taylor

JOHN ALEX TAYLOR

Author of the Apples in the Dark series.

Warm, humane novels full of characters who will stay with you.

Born in Manchester, I grew up in Cardiff, and Wales became my true home. I lived in Scotland and then for many years in Wessex before moving back to Wales with my wife Fiona.

One feature of the books is Epilepsy. I developed Epilepsy when I was 12 or 13, and it wasn’t fully controlled until my late twenties. Epilepsy constrained my life when my peers were taking flight. I’ve tried to share the psychological impact of a hidden disability: many of my friends didn’t even know I had epilepsy.

Another feature is my love for the blurred boundaries between science, music, art, and spirituality. I’m the son of a scientist who was a fine musician, the brother of an artist and I’ve studied theology and mythology.

I worked for over thirty years with people with learning disabilities, Emmy’s peers. Emmy is a minor character in the first book, but she takes centre stage in the second.

I rarely miss a day walking in the beautiful Welsh countryside, giving thanks for the small beauties (and big mountains) all around me.