BIOGRAPHY

Shaun Dryden was born and still resides in a coastal town at the mouth of the River Tyne. Proud of his working-class Geordie roots, he developed a strong work ethic from an early age, starting an evening paper round at 13, followed by a morning butcher’s round, pedalling his bike making deliveries across town. Though his childhood was happy, school was often a struggle, and he left without notable qualifications. Instead, he learned the value of determination, resilience, and hard graft, earning his education from the "school of hard knocks" and the "university of life."

In his mid-thirties, redundancy provided an unexpected opportunity to change career paths. He returned to education, and at 38, while studying at college, he was diagnosed with a form of dyslexia. The revelation was life-changing, finally explaining the frustrations he had faced. Adapting his learning approach, he embraced the challenge and forged ahead.

Shaun’s career took a significant turn when he landed a sales role at a small London-based start-up company. His natural talent
and tenacity saw him rise quickly through the ranks, eventually becoming a director of what is now a well-known high street brand. After nearly 30 years, most of them spent in leadership, he decided it was time to embark on a new chapter.

 

Since retiring, Shaun has enjoyed spending more time with his wife and family, while indulging his lifelong interests in ancient history, world mysteries and stargazing, passions that have often found their way into his writing.

His debut novel, 13, began his journey as an author, followed by his second book, Jack and an Angel Called Trevor. His third novel, Beyond 13, returned to the characters and world of 13, continuing a story that may yet have another chapter to come.

Daily walks along the North East coast with Bailey, his daughter’s mischievous Cockapoo, provided the unlikely inspiration for book number four. Combining Bailey with Shaun’s love of steam trains and his model railway resulted in something completely different: his first children’s adventure, The Amazing Adventures of Bailey: The Time Travelling Cockapoo.

Four books later, retirement certainly hasn’t meant putting his feet up and there are still plenty more stories waiting to be told.