:: Chris Riley ::

= Writers C.V. =

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

From an early age I took interest in English and creative writing. I found the writing experience enjoyable and always had wild imagination. At the age of 11 I was writing my own short stories for my entertainment, and in 1995 at the age of 13 I attempted to write my own continuation of the Jurassic Park story. This didn’t turn out the way I planned, and family tensions spiralled out of control. The project was left unfinished, but unperturbed I continued to write, and in 1999 I started writing (under the penname of Chris Summerton), what would become my first full length manuscript. Writing gave me a fantasy world to escape to where I could observe other people’s mundane lives instead of living my own.

Towards the end of 2000 I had written 3 full length manuscripts and was interested in seeking representation for my work and began mailing agencies. In 2001 I received a letter back from an agency that saw promise in my work and urged me to redraft (which I did and completed within a month of the letter). I re-submitted the sample chapters and I was later asked to forward the entire manuscript. In early 2002 I received the rejection letter from the agency, but with personal hand written comments at the bottom. Whilst representation wasn’t on offer, they were willing to see further stories and offered to meet.

Unfortunately for my writing career, in 2003 I relocated from Birmingham to Leeds and whilst I continued to write for the escapism, it would soon become almost redundant when I met my partner, fell in love and became happier than my wildest dreams.

The urge to write quashed for a while, but it never went away and during the following few years the urge grew stronger until in 2006 I committed to my writing once again (with more than a little nudge from my partner - thanks). Due to the illness and eventual death of my much loved step-dad, the writing remained on hold, and it was only during the last months of the year that I was able to revisit my writing.

In 2007 for the first time in almost 3 years I began writing a new novel, under my own name.

WORK

Since leaving formal education I have worked for a number of companies in their IT Support departments. I spent three years working in a support function for a car dealership group. In 2003 when I relocated to Leeds I started work for the IT Support department of a large bank. I currently hold a senior position in the same department.

I write what I am intested in, not just what I know. My day to day aquaintances often inspire incidents and characters. I often use my own characteristics to bring me closer to the other characters in my stories.

MANUSCRIPTS

To date I have written 10 full-length Novel manuscripts, 3 Novella length works and 2 (novel length) collections of short stories. To date none of my works have been published.

NOVELS

Family Feuds (104,506 words) redrafted
The Lockman’s Fable (69,055 words) redrafted
La Isla De Muerte (120,013 words) redrafted
Dead Game (95,166 words) redrafted
Writers Factory (156,191 words) 1 st draft
Devils Dive (91,025 words) redrafted
Apparitions (74,526 words) 1 st draft
Devils Gate (75,852 words) redrafted
Untold History (72,078 words) redrafted
Untold History: Phase Two (95,281 words) 1 st draft

NOVELLAS

A Death in the Family (25,045 words) redrafted
The Pussycat Burglar (28,653 words) redrafted
Our Love (31,892 words) redrafted

SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

Blue (62,808 words) 1 st draft
Red (75,626 words) 1 st draft

INCOMPLETE PROJECTS

Two Faces of a Penny (novella)
Newsstand (novella)
Black – The case files (collection of short stories)

To have a look at current projects, click here.