Everyone dreams of being rich; of being able to buy whatever they want, and never having to consider the cost. There are a number of ways to become rich. You could win the lottery, but the odds against you doing that are very high indeed. Another way is by working hard for it. The odds are just about as high, and you will still need more than your fair share of luck. John Armstrong was a natural entrepreneur and had taken the second route. He realized early on that the way to make money was first find your market, and then provide that market with the products that they would need (even if they didn't know they needed them at the time). John's market was middle-aged men. Men in their 40's and 50's, who had enough money to spend on what were in fact luxury items; products like vitamin and weight loss pills, hair growth products and the really big money spinner, Erectile Dysfunction medications. Over the next twenty-five years, with the help of his best friend and lawyer, Chris Fairfax, and a number of bright young university graduates, he had driven Derwent Pharmaceuticals to become one of the most profitable companies in the UK. Now, after half a lifetime of sixteen hour days and seven day working weeks, John had had enough. At the age of forty-seven, he looked back on his life and wondered where the hell it had gone. Overnight, and after talking with Chris, John decided to sell his controlling stake in the company. John had found his sanctuary, a handsome medieval house with a lake and a trout stream. In retirement, he just wanted peace and quiet after all the years of board meetings and international travel. However, soon after moving into his new home in the beautiful Devonshire countryside, he finds himself yearning for the relative calm and sanity of his old life in London. John's new life and his view of the world will be turned upside down by events at Midwater Manor.
About the Author: Tim Taylor is a baby boomer. He was born in the city of Derby (the home of Rolls-Royce) which is in the English Midlands. Tim finished school at the age of 15 and held a number of jobs, including working as a Chef in an Italian Restaurant. Eventually Tim started work at a large communications company and worked as a mainframe computer operator for 14 years. He left there in the mid-90's and began working for the Greater Manchester Police in the criminal records department. He was actually in Manchester on the day in June 1996, when the IRA decided to blow up the street which he normally walked down on his way to work! Tim was late that day, which was probably a good thing. After six years he met his wife Carolyn and consequently moved to southwest Missouri in the United States. Tim has a daughter, Laura and two stepchildren, Lee and Kerry, from a previous marriage. He has four grandchildren who all still live in England. For the 10 years that Tim has lived in the United States, he has worked for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. He has a number of interests including fishing and carpentry, but his main passion is History, especially the period between the 10th and 15th Centuries. Tim believes that it was wondering what it would be like to live during the medieval period, which finally gave him the push to start writing after thinking about it for a number of years. Tim originally came from an ancient country where history is everywhere so it was hard not to become interested in it. At the present, the Taylors reside on a small farm in the Ozarks and have three dogs: Coco, Oreo and Beulah (who is the inspiration for Rupert, the fat Labrador retriever in his first novel). Tim is a huge fan of Derby County Football Club and since living in the U.S, he has learned to love baseball and particularly the St. Louis Cardinals.