Matthew Willis

Matthew Willis was born in the historic naval town of Harwich, Essex in 1976. He grew up in a nearby village, never far from the sea, becoming a keen racing dinghy sailor in his teens. A family connection with the 4th Dovercourt, a troop of Sea Scouts associated with the Royal Navy, helped foster a passion for the age of sail, and Nelson's Navy in particular. This undoubtedly contributed to the setting for his first novel, Daedalus and the Deep.

Matthew studied Literature and History of Science at the University of Kent, where he wrote an MA thesis on Joseph Conrad and sailed for the University in national competitions. He subsequently worked as a journalist for Autosport and F1 Racing magazines, before switching to a career with the National Health Service.

His first non-fiction book, a history of the Blackburn Skua WW2 naval dive bomber, was published in 2007. He currently lives in Southampton and writes both fiction and non-fiction for a living.