Ralph G Hellman

A few years ago, I wanted to tell my story, my version of things so I wrote my memoirs, which gave rise to the idea of writing a novel.

This ambition is now accomplished with this book and surprisingly a sequel is now in its finishing brushes. The intention is to write a trilogy.

The struggle of writing is a fascinatingly spooky business, as Norman Mailer said, there are frustrating days without sparkling ideas in your head but you force yourself, you sit down in front of the computer and suddenly it appears and you think you have put together a splendid combination of words nobody had ever said so well or thought of and that that is happiness. Like whooshing down a cross-court forehand, wrong-footing your opponent or gliding down a snowy slope in splendid isolation and silence.

As a reader, I dabble between deep intellectual stuff to the frivolous, books about history or contemporary novels.

I was born in Stockholm, went to Madrid at the age of twenty-five to study Spanish a few months. One thing led to another and I found a job, got married, lived seven in years in Barcelona, found another job and went back to Madrid where I still live.

My line of work was always in trading and commercialising different products, which has taken me hectically travelling all over Europe and China.

A life of sports including official honorary posts, in particular tennis, ski and football, lately I have taken up golf.

I love to go and visit Stockholm, feel the air, meet friends, taste the food and just be there and maybe, I’ll be back.