The Gatekeeper and The Guardian

John Morris has stories to tell. His novels are absorbing fiction, which are intense and emotional at times, and funny at others. "I study the Human Species," he relates. "I share this by writing a rainbow of human emotions. One minute the evocative words may make one cry, and the next, humour dispels the emotional miasma. Good novels, like real life, are a question of balance, and drawing the reader in."

Morris draws on his eclectic life experiences in his writing. He brings to the reader a range of heartfelt emotions, highs and lows of human life, as mirrored by humanity in general.

"I am sharing my written words with readers, and feedback has been fantastic. I'm hungry to write more, and share with others life's experiences. My books have several levels, but I love it best, when I use words to hide a clue written in plain sight. That is Cristie-esque."

Morris has never accepted anything simply because it is the norm. He admits, "I have enjoyed so many different careers, and seen so much of the world in the process, they seem like separate lifetimes. I always wanted to be a folk/rock star, because I'm driven to tell stories of people's lives and loves, initially by writing lyrics. Whilst being very good at playing a 12-string acoustic guitar, I could not sing to save my life. Over time, I discovered I could write, poems and short stories at first, and then novels."

Born in England to a local father and an Irish mother, Morris has lived in China since 2004. He has held numerous positions, from the ten years he spent as a police officer specializing in serious fraud, to entrepreneur and world trader, to writer. Early on, he qualified as a Yachtmaster for sailing vessels.

Aged forty-eight, he lost everything: his girlfriend, his home, his car, and because of that, his job. "It was a turning point. How does your mind work?" He asks. "I felt the bottom had dropped out of my life as I knew it, so after moping for a few months, I created a new life. I went to University to study Mobile Computing BSc. (Hons), and got my placement year in Foshan, China. I loved the culture, the people so much I never went back. Life is what you make it."

After two failed marriages, he is now happily married to Siu Ying, and living in the heartland of Cantonese China. Morris is father to their young daughter, Rhiannon. Morris is not a polyglot, but he speaks Cantonese to a conversational level. Although he and his wif...