Marc Secchia

I was born and grew up in Cape Town in the bad old days of apartheid South Africa and witnessed the amazing changeover from white minority government to a fully inclusive, democratic government. My dad is Italian and my mom, South African. By the time I was in high school the apartheid system was crumbling and a new nation was in the making.

My all-time favorite quote comes from Nelson Mandela: "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

My love of writing manifested early on. When the teachers taught haiku poems in junior school, I was the kid who just had to string 16 of them together to make an epic story arc. In high school, I was the one writing my novel in the back of the classroom rather than actually listening to the lessons. I read a thesaurus for fun and tended to get myself banned from the family Scrabble.

I read eclectically and in a wide range of genres. However, I started with the hard science fiction of Carl Sagan, Asimov and Piers Anthony before delving into the more classic high fantasy of Tolkein, CS Lewis, David Eddings and the three Terry’s - Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett and Terry Goodkind, amongst many others - but my all-time favorite author has to be Ann McCaffrey and specifically, her Pern series. Her telepathic, intelligent dragons fired my imagination.

My Italian side definitely comes across in my love of Italian cuisine and I would absolutely do despicable things to get my hands on a Ferrari. No questions asked. I’ve spent the last 14 years living and working in Ethiopia with my wife and 4 children.

What else would you like to know? Drop me a question and I’ll update this page.