Sons of The Shire

SEX. LIES. SURFING. RIOTS. WELCOME TO GOD'S COUNTRY.
The Cronulla riots shocked the world, but there were some who knew it was coming…
There is a simmering darkness in 15-year-old Paddy. A violent incident from his past has forced him to become invisible, but a chance encounter with Dylan King 'Neptune' changes everything. Paddy becomes immersed in the world of the Alley Cats, a tribal surf gang with a reputation for violence and crime. Seeking to prove himself, Paddy sparks a war with a rival gang and his world is thrown into chaos. His friends are divided. The girl he has always wanted may no longer be the girl he is with. At school, Brother Kelly struggles to control Paddy's growing anger and at home, his mother is determined to stop history from repeating. As the war escalates, Paddy discovers the world he had longed for may not be everything he had hoped.
Set in the fractured paradise of Cronulla in1992, Sons of The Shire is a raw coming-of-age story that follows a young man lost in a world of fallen heroes.

WHO AM I ?
Born 1976. Spent some time in the USA. Then grew up in Caringbah, The Sutherland Shire, and will never apologise for it.
Writing
I've been writing since the age of seven. Most of my earlier works plagiarised films, such as Mad Max and Superman (ironic, I know). For many years I wrote for others, so it's refreshing to be able to craft stories around things that interest me. The writing I'm currently doing is focused on my old stomping ground - The Shire and is mostly set in the '80s and '90s. For me, place and how it shapes you as a person is what interests me most.
Influences
Plenty. But some who really inspire me are: Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegutt, John Steinbeck, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, TC Boyle, JD Salinger, Tim Winton, Joe R Lansdale, Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, Philip K Dick, Cormac McCarthy and Shakespeare.
Other stuff
I'm a surfer, so being in the ocean with some swell and offshore wind is magic. I love surfboards and have quite the collection of eclectic craft. I play in a band, 'Salty'. We're pretty big in Japan. I play guitar, banjo, banjolele, kazoo, and do the occasional vocal spot. If I'm not surfing, rehearsing, or writing, I'm raising four kids. Actually, they're raising me. I'm also a fulltime teacher. Once upon a time, I used to play video games and watch moving pictures on a screen - I think it was called television. I currently reside in the Illawarra. I dream of writing full time...