If you feel challenged by the rapid transformations of society, especially in relation to gender and the role of the young, Alan McCluskey’s novels offer not only an enjoyable read but also a stimulating chance to explore alternative avenues and possible futures within the safety of a story.
Alan McCluskey
Questioned about his work, Alan McCluskey replied, “I see the world from unusual and unexpected angles.” Grinning, he went on to add, “It is this trait that defines my mission in life: to find ways to depict those unexpected perspectives, whether it be in novels, photos or articles, such that others are touched by that experience and potentially learn from it.”
About the Author
Having gained his mathematics degree at 20, Alan McCluskey turned to teaching English as a foreign language, which he did for some 15 years. He attended fine arts school studying cinema and video and went on to make art videos and direct a number of short TV programmes. More recently he has had several photo exhibitions and is currently preparing a new one..
He enjoyed the challenge of organising wide-scale networks. He coordinated a worldwide network of Internet domain name companies and ran a European network of high-level educational experts. In a quite different sphere, he created “The Hundred Venues” with friends: a network of screening venues for electronic arts across Europe.
As CEO of a short-lived Internet startup, he drafted business plans and tried to convince investors to hand over millions. It was one of those rare moments he wore a suit and tie in an attempt to appear different from the geeks who went about the office barefoot.
Most of Alan McCluskey’s time is now given over to writing novels and taking photos. He has written seventeen novels, eleven of which have been published by Secret Paths Editions: Chimera, Stories People Tell, the Boy & Girl Saga, Boy & Girl, In Search of Lost Girls and We Girls. as well as three novels from The Storyteller’s Quest series, The Reaches, The Keeper’s Daughter, The Starless Square. Having just finished the draft of a sequel to Stories People Tell, Local Voices, the author is currently writing two new novels , The Cloud Catcher and Bursting with Life!
Prior to writing novels, he wrote articles for magazines about art and the impact of technology on society (see Connected Magazine), as well as many scientific reports and studies. Despite their seriousness, he sought occasions to adopt what he called the Martian perspective, questioning the self-evident. An approach that didn’t always make life easy.
He has brought that questioning perspective, along with a passion for images and what they can reveal, to novel writing, together with a long-standing fascination for the dream world and the magic of fantasy.
