Ben Jeapes (www.jeapes.ndirect.co.uk) was overexposed in early childhood to Dr Who, Thunderbirds and Star Trek, which set him on the science fiction trail, but what really engrained the stuff in him was the discovery that it comes in the written form.

He started writing science fiction himself at the age of 18 in the mistaken belief that it would be quite easy and might save him having to get a job. He has still managed to sell 18 short stories and 3 novels.

His ambition is to live to be 101 and 7 months, so as to reach the 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and the arrival of the man responsible for Ben's unusual surname -- a Danish mercenary called Jep, whose name features in the Domesday Book and who fought for William the Conqueror -- in the British Isles. It's not everyone who gets to celebrate a thousandth family anniversary. Ben's other ambition is to have descendants of his own by the time he's 101, so they can remind him what he's staying alive for.

He likes cats, good food, an occasional trip to the cinema and not being broke. He loathes stereotypes, junk mail both paper and electronic, boy and girl bands, and TV sport. He is English, and as quietly proud of the fact as you would expect of the descendant of a Danish mercenary who fought for a bunch of Norsemen living in northern France.

Elsewhere in infinity plus:

• fiction - Pages out of Order; and Trial by Alien.
• non-fiction - Xenocide Mission reviewed.
• contact - e-mail Ben Jeapes

Elsewhere on the web:

• Ben Jeapes at Amazon (US) and at the Internet Bookshop (UK).
• Ben's home page.

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A+ Books: an insider's view of sf, fantasy and horror
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