Alumni authors: D-F

Many of our alumni are published authors. If you have written a book and would like to appear on these pages, please let us know by email.

D

Sanjay Dari (MA Creative Writing, 2014)

No Path: Leon's Self-Acceptance, 2014, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Published under the pen name S.D. Jayson.

Leon is a quiet young man with low self-esteem and a lack of self-acceptance. He is forced to leave his hometown due to use of magic powers which appeared suddenly, and resulted in a price being put on his head. He leaves with his best friend Scythe. Leon has no idea of the many people he will meet and the outrageous opinions he will come across. He also has no idea of the things he will learn regarding the planet of Emotia, as well as the twists in his journey. Will Leon be able to accept himself?

Available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format. 99p on Kindle or free for users of Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

Brian Darvell (PhD Medicine, 1975; DSc Dentistry, 2006)

Materials Science for Dentistry, 7th Edition, 2002, Self published 

 A conceptual approach to the explanation of structure and properties, and thus the handling of all clinical and laboratory materials.

Emma Darwin (BA Drama and Theatre Arts, 1986)

The Mathematics of Love, July 2006, Headline Review 

Two stories – one historical, one contemporary – are linked by the elusive figure of a small, lost boy. From the gentle Suffolk countryside to the battlefields of Waterloo and the old Basque towns of Spain, this is a profoundly moving account of war and the pain of loss, the heat of passion and the redemptive power of love.

Jonathan Dennis (BA Medieval and Modern History, 1996)

The good die and the bad live on, Authorhouse UK 2012

Matt Malone is a first year student struggling to meet his academic commitments and kick start a stilted love life. His first date with Liv ends with a shocking, violent attack on them both. They are only saved by Liv's unnatural ability to remain calm and take drastic, conclusive action on their attacker. What they've shared draws them together, their relationship evolves quickly and Matt can barely retain even rudimentary focus on anything else. But it feels unbalanced - Matt can't shake the feeling that the beautiful, self-confident Liv is too good for him and that there's something she's holding back. Liv's frequent fierce flashes of temper do little for his peace of mind. The story takes a seminal turn when Liv finally reveals her secret and a devastating attack on Matt's life and friends leaves him to slide towards insanity.

Narinder Dhami (BA English, 1980)

Bollywood Babes, 2004, Corgi Children

Amber, Jazz and Geena are the sassiest sisters around. Their school is desperate for money and their young auntie has volunteered to do some fundraising with an end-of-term Bollywood party. What could be more glamorous than a real, live Bollywood film star at the party?

E

Ljubica Erickson (BA English, 1957)

The Eastern Front in Photographs, 2001. Carlton

Ljubica worked with her husband to write The Eastern Front in Photographs, published by Carlton, 2001. She and her son edited Russia: War, Peace and Diplomacy: Essays in Honour of John Erickson, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2005.

F

Dr Steven Fawkes (BSc Science of Resources, 1980)

Outsourcing Energy Management, May 2007, Gower Press.

This book is designed to assist organisations looking to address their energy problems, particularly rising costs and the need to reduce emissions, through outsourcing some or all of their energy management functions. The book argues that to address the new energy market realities a new approach to outsourcing is needed that combines all aspects of energy management, including supply and demand.

Dr Andrew John Fielding (BA History, 1983; PhD History, 1989)

The Diary of Robert Woodford 1637-1641, 2013, Cambridge University Press 

Woodford's diary, here published in full for the first time with an introduction, provides a unique insight into the puritan psyche and way of life. Woodford is remarkable for the consistency of his world view, interpreting all experience through the spectacles of godly predestinarianism. His journal is a fascinating source for the study of opposition to the Personal Rule of Charles I and its importance in the formation of Civil War allegiance.

Brian Fish (BSc Mining,1942)

Words for Weighing: Essays and Leaders, 2012, Pen Press

The first half of the book comprises essays of various style and content, including the author's war stories including active service in Burma.

In the second half are reproduced seventy of the leaders which the author composed while he was managing editor of technical journals. They cover the period early 1961 to late 1984, and offer a lively commentary on current affairs.

Tokens of Youth, 2015, Troubador Publishing

Brian Fish recounts the story of his lively early years in his new book, Tokens of Youth.

Born in Derbyshire, Brian Fish spent much of his childhood moving around the county as a result of his father's line of work. Set mainly in the 1920s and 1930s, Tokens of Youth sees Brian share his personal memories of growing up in London, and later in Leicester, before winning a scholarship to the University of Birmingham.

"I wrote Tokens of Youth in order to add to the family history, as well as to keep my mind active," explains Brian about the inspiration behind the book. "There is nothing quite like the pleasure of handling a new book published under your name," adds Brian.

Brian talks candidly about his time at school, where he excelled at English, French and science, as well as his time spent at Birmingham where he studied mining engineering. Tokens of Youth is a fascinating account of what life was like growing up in the 20s and 30s as a child and teenager; also as a university student during the first three years of the war. He also details how he confirmed his Christian faith, which he strongly believes guides his behaviour, his words and his actions.

"The object has been to create a book that is well written and interesting enough to offer enjoyment to those whose literary taste is the reading of autobiographies," observes Brian. 

Across Ten Decades, 2017, Brown Dog Books

The author was born in 1920 and so wrote this autobiography in the tenth decade of his life - hence the title. The structure of the book is deliberately episodic, rather than continuous and comprehensive. The author felt that the latter approach, although orthodox, would be boring to write and probably boring to read. The episodic approach, on the other hand, gives the opportunity to select experiences, events and activities that are particularly significant for each decade. Every chapter deals with a single decade, the general nature of which is indicated by the title. In his particularly long, interesting and active life the author travelled widely. The accounts of the people he met and the places he encountered are distinctive elements of the book. Also his very varied professional experience, in several occupations, is a further distinctive feature.

Claire Fletcher (MSc Medical and Radiation Physics, 2004)

Acheron, 2006, Publish America

In this science fiction novel, the residents of Earth believe they have ridded themselves of all their problems by exiling the criminal population to the plant Acheron. Over the centuries, the descendants of the exiles have evolved and are demanding to come home, even if it means launching a war that could destroy both planets.

David Fletcher (BSc Chemistry, 1970)

David moved on from chemistry to accountancy immediately after graduating, but he has now moved on to writing. He has produced a trilogy of humorous sci-fi books and is currently engaged in the production of a series of humorous travel books. These are based on his experiences in such diverse places as Namibia, Borneo, Cape Verde and Syria – and on his desire to inform, provoke, amuse and entertain, in more or less equal measure. His next book, Strip Pan Wrinkle (in Namibia and Botswana) is due to be published in January 2014.