Long before Mark Eklid first became a published author, writing was his living.

His background is as a newspaper journalist, starting out with the South Yorkshire Times in 1984 and then on to the Derby Telegraph, until leaving full-time work in March 2020.

Most of Mark’s time at the Telegraph was as their cricket writer, a role that brought national recognition in the 2012 and 2013 England and Wales Cricket Board awards. He contributed for 12 years to the famed Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and had many articles published in national magazines, annuals and newspapers.

Writing as a profession meant writing for pleasure had to be put on the back burner but when his work role changed, Mark returned to one of the many half-formed novels in his computer files and, this time, saw it through to publication.

The Murder of Miss Perfect (July 2022) was his first novel for SpellBound Books, followed by Blood on Shakespeare's Typewriter (September 2023). Mark had previously self-published Sunbeam (November 2019), Family Business (June 2020) and Catalyst (February 2021).

All five are fast-moving, plot-twisting thrillers set in the city of his birth, Sheffield.

Mark lives in Derby with his partner, Sue. They have two adult sons and have been adopted by a cat.