I was born and still live in Coventry, UK. I studied physics and mathematics at the University of Nottingham before going on to work as a youth employment officer, teacher, lecturer and IT consultant before beginning work on Time Crystal in 2002.
When my father visited the Coventry Registry Office on 5th April, the last day of the tax year, he was so excited at the prospect of getting a full year’s tax refund that he made a mistake and registered me as Philip John Brown. I finally fixed this mistake when I registered the URL http://www.wykenseagrave.co.uk/ in 2007.
By one of those incredible co-incidences that only occur in the sort of cheap fiction that I would never dream of writing even in nightmares, Wyken also happens to be the district of Coventry where I was born and Wyken Croft was the primary school where they attempted to educate me. The name occurs with several variations across the south of England, for example Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. Wic or Wike is Saxon for farm or group of huts.
Stranger still, Seagrave happens to be the house I belonged to in secondary school, Caludon Castle Comprehensive, also in Coventry. According to http://www.geocities.com/hank99uk/segraves.html
“After accompanying Randulf De Bluderville the Earl of Chester on a trip to the Holy land, Stephen De Segrave was given Caludon Castle with a rent of one sparrowhawk a year. Permission was given by King Edward I to fortify and add a moat to Caludon in 1305 and again in 1354 permission was granted to crenellate and repair the castle and chapel.”
The ruins of Caludon Castle are still visible in Wyken. You can see a map of these places here.
However I assure you that my name is entirely authentic, my own and genuine. It is also my trademark and therefore protected by the usual laws.
Why Time Crystal?
I am passionate about communicating the history of the Universe to as wide a range of people as possible. It think it is a story that most people should hear at least once, for many reasons. It’s part of our heritage. It gives us a perspective on ourselves. The past reveals trends that have lessons for the future. It allows us to see how we relate to the world around us with fresh eyes.
Time Crystal is my attempt to bring this story to people who would never read about science or history but are happy to read fiction. I use the history of the Universe as the stage across which the characters move, the forest through which they wander trying to find salvation.
Why Blog?
This blog was created to record the writing process. It might be of interest to readers, listeners, authors and budding writers who want to know what it’s really like trying to write in the 21st century.
These notes might be useful for students and their teachers to explore the writing process. It was started late in 2006, so it’s not a complete record of the early years.
But most of all because I really want and need reader/listener feedback to help me to improve this work. Over the years comments by readers have greatly improved its quality and I want this to continue. Please let me know what you think and how things could be improved. What do you like about Time Crystal and what annoys you?
So listen to the podcasts or read the chapters published here and let me know what you think.
Thank you for your interest in Time Crystal and I really hope you enjoy it and will want to listen to the whole story!
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