I’ve been working in ELT since taking a character-buildingly awful job in a desolate agricultural town in the middle of Spain back in 1988.

I’ve lived and worked in half-a-dozen countries, and in the mid nineties I began contributing material and cartoon illustrations to ELT publications. I’ve written a number of books for UK publishers, including the Puzzle Time series and IELTS Resource Pack for Delta Publishing.

Since 2004 I’ve been a full-time materials developer, principally working on courses for use in South East Asia. I’ve also been involved with the development of online learning tools. Technological advances in this area make some amazing things possible (it’s now possible to simulate an unpredictable conversation with a computer), but I don’t believe it will ever be a satisfactory substitute for classroom interaction.

I divide my time between Italy and the UK. My leisure activities are unhealthily close to my work ones: drawing, writing and playing around with building websites.