I'm a chemist, writer and musician. Bit of an odd mix I suppose, but it's nice to have a wide range of interests.

Don't worry, my stories won't contain much about crystal field theory or [4+2] cycloaddition reactions. 

My main influences (currently) are Roald Dahl (master of short stories) and Chuck Palahniuk (visceral, and very funny), but other writers I admire include: Alfred Bester (The Stars My Destination is incredible), Philip K Dick (paranoid mind melting fiction, which fascinates as well as terrifies), Ray Bradbury (again, those short stories are just brilliant), Charles Dickens (humour often goes unnoticed in mainstream treatment of his works) and Magnus Mills (very dry British humour., great stuff).

I also enjoy the  work of the poets Roger McGough (Icarus Allsorts is a favourite of mine), Rainer Maria Rilke (Letters to a Young Poet), and A F Harrold (http://tworiverspress.com/wp/)