Chris has written much of this book from personal experience. Born in Stafford, England, he studied Archaeology and Fine Art at Edinburgh University. During the 1970s Chris worked on sites in Italy, Cyprus, Turkey and Iran. His last dig was at old Kandahar in Afghanistan, just before the Russian invasion. It is this excavation life that he has reworked into historical fiction. Chris discovered Australia after Kandahar, and moved there in 1978. Since then he has taught Ancient History, English and Philosophy in Brisbane. Along the way he completed post graduate diplomas in Russian (Strathclyde university in Glasgow), Teaching (London university) and a degree in Journalism (QUT in Brisbane). He has always thought of life as an adventure. So his black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a stint of hang gliding, comes as no surprise. Life is so rich that one needs several lifetimes to catch a part of it. How can anyone limit themselves to a single interest, one existence, when there is so much out there for the next challenge? The life and culture of the Middle East was fascinating and raw, a daily struggle for existence for those people that he worked with and has a huge respect for. The layers of culture reflect the levels of existence on a site such as Kandahar. 'Kara Tepe' was the first novel in the series involving the archaeological careers of Philip and Rosalind. The second, 'Ayios Petros', was set in Cyprus, and the Crusades. The third, 'Nardoo', took place in outback Queensland. 'Kandahar', the fourth, happened in Afghanistan. The fifth, 'Roseland', which occurs in Cornwall against a backdrop of King Arthur, is still to be written. After raising two sons, their greatest adventure, he and his wife now live in the hills north of Brisbane.