Derek was born in Hampshire in England but spent his teenage years in Auckland, New Zealand, where he still has strong family ties. On his return to England, after eight years abroad, he read history at Reading University.For many years Derek taught history at a secondary school, but took early retirement to concentrate on writing which led to his spectacular debut novel, Feud. He is interested in everything historical but his particular favourite is the late medieval period. So far he has completed a nine-book series, entitled The Wars of the Roses, and an Amazon best-selling trilogy about the British hero, Ambrosius Aurelianus, entitled: The Last of the Romans.