I'm Barry Nugent, an author of supernatural adventures and the creative force behind the Unseen Shadows Universe, which expands the world and characters from my novels across multiple platforms.
I'm also the co-host on the Geek Syndicate podcast, that takes a humorous look at pop culture. The success of the podcast led me to present two documentaries for the BBC.
I first put pen to paper, aged eleven, when my creative mind exploded after seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark. I still remember running out of the cinema, desperate to capture what I felt, and my mum suggesting I try writing a story. It took me a while to find my voice (there is a trail of Indiana Jones rip offs that will never see the light of day!) but once I did there was no stopping me.
My first novel ‘Paladin’ was traditionally published in 1999. In 2004 I self published Unseen Shadows: Fallen Heroes, the first in a trilogy of globe hopping, supernatural thrillers described by readers as being filled with sparkling characters in a skillfully drawn adventure. Back then the world of self publishing was much smaller and the term 'indie publishing' did not exist but armed with a single book on self publishing I battled on. My persistence paid off when signed copies of Fallen Heroes were stocked by several branches of Waterstones, including their flagship store in Piccadilly. This led to me being invited to host several book signings at various branches of Waterstones, who described the novel as easily compared to ‘Sin City’, ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘Heroes’ or ‘Buffy’
Years later I sold the rights to the award winning production company behind the 'Sharpe' TV show which starred Sean Bean. Sadly this happened before the scifi/fantasy genres exploded onto our screens in a big way. We were also just before the streaming services entered the stage. Some heavy hitters came close to picking up the script for a pilot but we were never able to make it happen. Netflix and Amazon I'm still interested if you're reading this...please form an orderly queue, there's enough story to go around.
I live in sunny Northampton (well sometimes it is) with my wife and two cats. We've done our fair share of travelling which has definitely helped with the globetrotting aspects of my stories.
I love reading books and comics in equal measure as well as listening to audio dramas.
On the book front put anything by Eoin Colfer, Clive Cussler, David Gemmell, James Barclay or Jim Butcher in my hands with a cuppa, partnered with a packet of Jaffa Cakes and I'm set for days.
I'm also a a big gamer (though its getting tough to find the time to game these days) with the Uncharted series being my go to games of choice.
I'm currently swimming in waters of middle grade fiction with Trail of the Cursed Cobras, which I describe as Grange Hill meets Indiana Jones. I never thought would write anything aimed at the age group I was when I first decided I wanted to be a writer so I am very excited about showing it off to the world. The book is currently in the editing phrase with a plan to publish in late 2021.
