1965 Jeremy C. Dronfield born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire (later Gwent). Never lived there. 1969 Begins learning to write. Early efforts at prose disappointing. 1986 Purchases electric typewriter. First short stories show promise, but no attempt made to secure publication. 1988 Belated entry into higher education, studying Archaeology at University of Southampton. Good essays, but no fiction. 1992 Does some work on a novel entitled "Rathcullen", doomed never to see completion. 1994 Doctorate in Archaeology awarded by University of Cambridge, for thesis on "Subjective Visual Phenomena in Irish Passage Tomb Art". No more fiction, but doctoral dissertation is divided, updated and published as series of papers in scholarly journals. After graduation, declines to use title "Doctor" except in strictly academic contexts and when signing on the dole. 1994-5 Works on full-length discourse on religion in Neolithic Europe. Gets bored and begins second attempt at writing a novel. Develops idea based on unpromising subject of model aeroplanes. One evening notes down idea for short story about a writer who discovers a magic notebook. Idea filed away for future reference. 1996 Model aeroplane novel completed, entitled "The Solus Inheritance". Sample chapters sent to various literary agents. Response moderately encouraging - plenty of praise, but no actual offers of representation. Begins sending out document with synopses of various novel ideas to agents who have been most encouraging. Some show interest in idea entitled "The Tenant". 1997 - Feb Shelves The Solus Inheritance and starts work on The Tenant. Final archaeological paper appears in print. May The Tenant completed, retitled "The Strand Scourer". Sends full manuscript to the agent who has been most encouraging - Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown Ltd. Three days later receives surprise phone call offering representation. Works on final draft of The Strand Scourer and, at JG's suggestion, changes title to "The Locust Farm". June Final draft submitted. Following week, The Locust Farm is sold to Headline Book Publishing for undisclosed sum. July Begins work on novel entitled "Resurrecting Salvador". 1998 - July The Locust Farm published. Oct Resurrecting Salvador completed. 1999 Resurrecting Salvador published. JD takes The Solus Inheritance down from the shelf, dusts it off and rewrites it. 2000 The Solus Inheritance published under the new title "Burning Blue". JD begins work on the five-year-old magic notebook idea. 2001 The Alchemist's Apprentice published. 2001 - present ... ? | 
