About Mark

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Like most of my species, I’m 60% water. Also, I’ve always loved a good story. I’ve been a voracious reader and writer my whole life.

My father was a Baptist Minister, and my Mum was a saint who died of cancer when I was 14. Preacher’s Kids often ‘lose their way’ early in life. Is it because people expect us to be good, and some people are rebellious by nature? I fell into the ‘Lost Boy’ category quite easily. I jumped. No one pushed me.

By 17 I was on my own – still in high school- in a houseful of wonderful carefree hippies. I survived (more or less) by working as a gravedigger, farmassist, golf course greenskeeper and tree planter. I briefly tried being a (soft) drug dealer. It turns out I liked doing drugs more than selling them, which is a poor business model.

 At the age of 20 – seeking some direction and adventure (and hoping to stay out of trouble) – I joined the Royal Canadian Navy. Over a 33-year career, I was promoted through the ranks to Chief Petty Officer First Class, and then Commissioned From the Ranks to serve as a Logistics Officer. I served proudly in seven Ships, on various multinational deployments at sea to some 29 countries, and on peacekeeping/peacemaking tours in Israel and Afghanistan.

While stationed in Halifax, Nova Scotia I met my wife, Elaine. We were married in 1986, and we have 2 grown sons, who both served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Elaine and I have been busy travelling since our semi-retirement in 2015: We’ve visited Ecuador, the Galapagos, Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Guatemala, Jamaica, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Colombia 2 x, Spain 2 X, Malta, Portugal, the Canary Islands and the UK. We’re not ever in a hurry when we visit a new location: we like to take it slow, meet local people, and use public transit. We stay in Homestays or Hostels quite a bit because they’re affordable and we get to meet the most interesting hosts and other guests.

I’ve always loved to write. For me, it’s therapeutic. During my time in the military, I saw the effect that rich and powerful people can have on weaker or more vulnerable people. So, I often write about bullies or monsters, and how they can be controlled, reformed or shamed into better behaviour: how love conquers hate, how light prevails over dark, and so forth.

(Warning: If the monsters don’t stop being monstrous after frequent treatments of love and light, sometimes we must imprison or kill them. During this process of monster control, more or different monsters are sometimes created. It’s the difference between ‘Peacekeeping and Peacemaking’ from a United Nations perspective.)

I also write a lot about environmental issues, and how we might save the planet from our greatest enemy: us.

I hope you find my books thought-provoking. Hell, I just hope you find them. Drop me a line if I owe you money or if you want to discuss anything I’ve written about in my books or in this brief Bio.

Cheers

Mark Piper