Colin Youngman

A two-time Kindle All-Star Award winner, Colin was born within sound of the tugboats on the River Tyne which, to a Geordie, has the same resonance as Bow Bells to a Londoner. Having been raised in the same borough which produced footballer Paul Gascoigne and AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson, he then relocated to the semi-rural village (or town - it's up for debate) which became the home of his best-known fictional character, Ryan Jarrod. Colin now resides in Northumberland - a land of rugged coastlines, historic castles, and rolling landscapes. In his work, he aims to capture the essence of Tyneside and its surrounds - both the beauty and its industrial heartlands, its architectural charm and its deprivation, and the warmth of the people set against their often tough backgrounds. Colin's Ryan Jarrod series is described as 'LJ Ross meets Ann Cleeves with the gritty, urban twist of Ian Rankin and Peter James.' Colin was first published at the age of nine when a letter submitted to a children's comic was featured as 'Contribution of the Week,' earning him the rich rewards of a 10/- postal order and a transistor radio which was kept in working order for over twenty years. Since then, he has had work published in national newspapers, travel reviews, and sports magazines before he turned his hand to his first love - fiction. Away from the keyboard, he has been a season-ticket holder at St James' Park through thin and thinner, and is a keen follower of Durham CCC. Colin has also done some TV work with appearances in 'Victoria' starring Jenna Coleman, and 'Frontier' alongside Jason Momoa, Alun Armstrong, and Jamie Sives. He clearly owns the face of a bygone era. He can be found on Facebook (Colin Youngman - Author), or via his website, or, easiest of all, by shouting 'Free Beer' very loudly in the street and waiting for him to appear.