Does a character resemble the author in some small way or does a little bit of each character get absorbed into the author's psyche?

An interest thought if the author happens to write science fiction, fantasy, horror and adventure with large doses of romance and a bit of good old-fashioned violence thrown in for good measure.

That would give analysts a fertile field to investigate, as fertile as the fields covered in the novels by New Zealand author Alan Brooker, who has joined the Amber Quill Press stable after some frustrating experiences with publishers in his own country and in the USA.

Alan's own life reads a bit like a novel, neatly divided into chapters that all seem to have a finite start and end. There has been no gentle progress from one chapter to the next, rather a distinct and sudden change of direction. Yet throughout, the steadying influence of words and images has taken him far beyond the confines of his earthly existence.

Starting his working life as a reporter with The Otago Daily Times in Otago in 1954, Alan slowly worked north from the southern tip of the country to the most northern, where he has slung anchor and plans to stay—beside the beach and in contact with the rest of the world through the miracles of cyberspace.

In the intervening years, he had a career with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, both in New Zealand and overseas, worked with a nationwide construction company, managed a health service and worked with the mentally and physically disabled in a paid and also voluntary capacity.

He is a qualified scuba diver, a New York trained photographer and once held a pilot's license. He is also interested in gardening and web page design, as well as being involved with the SETI League as one of the millions around the world who have linked the power of their computers together to try and find intelligent extra-terrestrial life.

Yes, definitely as complicated as some of his characters, and it is not surprising that many of his novels stray into these fields of interest.

"I love creating the worlds in my science fiction and fantasy stories," Alan says. "At least nobody can claim I've got the geography or history wrong or have even made errors in my scientific assumptions because these are my worlds and nobody has been there to check them out. I'm the final arbiter, the sole judge of what's right and wrong—but it's up to the public to show their acceptance of the stories by spending their money and supporting Amber Quill Press, who have been brave enough to bring them into print."