Andrew Barlow
Author of Warblegrub & the Forbidden Planet
Andrew's inspirations come from many sources. Writers like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman and Lewis Carol are obvious influences, but also classical writers like Aristophanes and Homer have made a major contribution to his style, as have his studies of mythology, religion, history and the natural world.
Drawing was Andrew's first passion. Though he works in many media, it is pen & ink that have become his signature. Writing grew from drawing; especially from landscape drawings from around the UK and Europe; imagining the stories that occurred in those landscapes encouraged a desire to write. Andrew's first novel, The Bear Pit: A Medieval Murder Mystery (published by Arena Books, 2009) is an historical novel that follows Henry V's rise to power and the dark side of the hero myth. The novel grew out of Andrew's love of medieval history and questions the popular perceptions of a very turbulent period.
Though Warblegrub & the Forbidden Planet places humans firmly on the moral low ground, Andrew still has a belief in man's capacity for good and, more importantly, for change. Having studied theology & philosophy, he has depicted the human invaders of Earth as engaged in a classic battle for salvation, and though their own actions usually damn them, their better intentions might still save them - with a little help from... a friend.