A coffee-guzzling journalist turned novelist, Mark Cantrell has spent a good few years chasing the literary dream in one form or another.
Novels form the main focus of his literary life but he has penned a good few short stories in his time. Many of these have appeared in small press fiction magazines, both in print and online.
More recently, he compiled his first major collection -- ISOLATION SPACE -- combining 20 of his favourite stories in one volume. The anthology presents an eclectic gathering of tales, from the macabre to the surreal, the deadly serious to the seriously tongue-in-cheek, and covers a mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror with some more satirical and thought-provoking works.
When it comes to novels, Mark is the author of the hard-hitting science fiction thriller and political satire, CITIZEN ZERO. Set in a Britain that could have grown straight out of today's burden of austerity, it wraps social commentary with political intrigue all rolled into one action-packed ride through a world gone seriously wrong.
Alongside his short fiction work, Mark's poetry and a variety of essays and articles, have also appeared in a number of small press journals over the years, both online and in print. His work has also featured in several multi-author anthologies.
Away from the literary efforts, Mark is a journalist working for the largest independent publisher of trade journals in the UK's North West region. Prior to this, he undertook a wide variety of freelance roles.
Born and bred in the West Yorkshire city of Bradford, he now lives in Stoke-on-Trent and commutes to the old day job up in Manchester. Mark studied political theory and institutions at the University of Liverpool and following that undertook post-graduate training in journalism at the City University, London.
