Martin John Solloway

Born in Scotland of an English mother and Welsh father, he attended Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and trained as an officer in the British Royal Navy. His first writing of note was a play, 'Utopia - a farce' for BBC Radio in 1983. He is a five times Festival Director, poet, playwright and novelist. A former member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan, he wrote, directed and narrated a play there, 'The Greater than Gold Treasure', in 1995. In 2004, he wrote, directed and narrated a Japanese-themed play for the British stage, 'The Tanabata Story', at the Pavilion Theatre, Brighton. At the same time, he wrote the 'Stuffed in Africa' novels with Guy Dudeney. His screenwriting was encouraged by 'Christopher Nicholson (II)' qv. In addition to the comedy, _My Doggone Destiny (2011)_, with Gretchen Dzedzej his other movie screenplays include two horrors, a romantic comedy, an adventure romance and a period drama, all in current development with production companies in the USA, UK and Europe. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. An award winning creative thinker, he was Master Trainer of Dr Edward de Bono's Creative Team. He has one daughter, who recently graduated from Oxford University. He has lived and worked in various parts of the world. At the moment, he lives in the UK, dividing his time between London and the Orkney Islands in the far North of Scotland.