Inspired by a misspent youth playing Dungeons and Dragons (the real kind, with dice!), and reading about heroes such as Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser, Conan and others, Carl F Northwood creates his own heroes and heroines, all eager to wield swords and mutter sorcerous incantations at sinister and fantastical villains. Some of their sagas are serious and brooding, others are oddball and eccentric.

Having grown up in a leafy and green village in central Bedfordshire, he now lives in a leafy and green village in East Yorkshire with his partner and two of his five children, surrounded by horses and dogs. He survives on a diet of ale, cheese and bourbon, all washed down with a massive swig of Folk Metal music. And yes, that is a thing.

He has earned coin throughout his fifty years in a variety of guises, including office, factory and managerial work. He currently helps run a successful small business but is now looking to gain further treasure as a scribe and storyteller.

He self-published his first novel, The Maingard Chronicles Book 1: The Darkness Rising in June 2021 with the second, Book 2: The Demons Within, published in April 2022. March 2023 saw publication of the third in the 5 book series, Book 3: The Wheel of the Sun.

A collection of short stories entitled Swords & Gaslamps: vol 1 saw publication in October 2023. Nine tales of daring do, some Sword and Sorcery, some Gears & Gaslamps – Steampunk with a twist; demons, magic and aliens.