Bio

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I was born in 1964 in the seaside town of Margate, Kent. I was the fifth boy in a family of painters. As a boy, I talked constantly and when forbidden to talk (at school, for example), I wrote.
In my mid twenties, I moved to France and while earning a living in IT, I started working part-time on my first novel – a task that was initiated (and abandoned) many, many times. Finally, in 2001, I finished a gay fiction title called 50 Reasons to Say Goodbye. A friend at The Times told me that I should get it published, which was unexpected to say the least. I truly hadn’t considered it good enough.

For a few years I tried to find a publisher or an agent, but it was a hopeless, thankless, depressing task so I gave up and self published the book with Lulu.com.
To my surprise, it sold well, becoming one of the UK’s best selling gay fiction titles.

By 2010, five novels later, I felt that I had said all I wanted to in the gay fiction genre, so I decided to write my own take on the popular Chicklit genre, instead.

Still unable to find a publisher, I self published The Case Of The Missing Boyfriend on Amazon’s then brand-new Kindle platform. The response was truly astounding. The book went to #1 and sold over 300,000 copies, and the sequel, The French House, published by Corvus, did even better. I followed these up with two Family Saga titles, The Half-Life of Hannah (2013), and Other Halves(2014).

The Half-Life of Hannah went on to become the 4th bestselling indy title of all time in Amazon’s UK kindle store.

My 2015 title The Photographer’s Wife reached #1 in the UK chart and sold over 200,000 copies, and my 2016 title The Other Son reached #3 and has so far sold almost 140,000 copies.

From these successes came a slew of international deals, so now The Case of the Missing Boyfriend has been translated into Italian (Le ambigue verità del cuore) and The Photographer’s Wife into French, German, Spanish, Norwegian and Italian.

The Half-life of Hannah and Other Halves have both been #1 hits in Norway, and The Other Son is has been translated into Turkish, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

Let the Light Shine was released in September, 2016 and later republished as The Bottle of Tears. It has been translated and has been a #1 hit in both Germany and France.

Things We Never Said came out in September 2017 and has since hit the #1 spot and been translated into French, Spanish and German, meaning that all in all, I have sold over a million copies of my novels.

You Then, Me Now came out in April 2019 in English, German, French and Spanish.

The Road to Zoe was published in 2020 in English and French.

Followed by From Something Old (2021), Perfectly Ordinary People (2022) and my latest baby The Imperfection of Us (2023).

All in all it’s been an amazing roller-coaster ride, and that’s all thanks to you, my readers, so thank you!

I do hope you like the new one.

Nick xxx

65 thoughts on “Bio”

  1. I am really enjoying reading your books, Nick, and am currently reading The French House, my 5th! Have recommended you to my family and friends. Thank you.

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  4. I absolutely loved the 50 Reasons series – I had to read them one after the other to find out what would happen to Mark next. How do you do it? – Mark thinks the same things, often feels the same way as me…so much so I had to pull myself up occasionally and think ‘do I do that?’ (!) Perhaps Mark has a bit of that everyman/woman? My favourite was Better than Easy because it had that dilemma of risking it all (I suppose there’s a bit of us all that wants to run off into the sunset sometimes) and also because I loved Ricardo’s attitude about himself – he doesn’t label, he’s just Ricardo.
    As someone writing gay fiction myself, I’ve read widely, but I have to say you knock the published ‘opposition’ out there into a cocked hat! (Don’t you love that phrase?!). You know when you’ve read a great book/series and you get to the end and you feel a bit lost and know you’ll miss characters that feel like friends. Thank you for the laughter and occasional tear Nick. Bless you xx

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  5. Just finished your latest, The photographers wife, it’s fabulous. I’ve read all of your books. It’s up there with the best, I’ve got several favourites from you but this one has left me emotionally drained but in a good way. It is so heartfelt but that’s the beauty of your books, they feel so real. I feel like I know you & the charectors in your novels. Can’t wait for the next one, no pressure but hope you are soon bored & writing again.

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    • Hi Jo,
      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’m already working on the next one, but they generally take me about a year, so there may be a bit of a wait!
      In the meantime, don’t forget to post those Amazon reviews!
      Nick xxx

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  6. Hi
    I’ve read all your books and enjoyed them all. The fifty reasons were my favourites and I agree with a previous comment about the characters feeling as though they are your friends. I’d love to see the series made into a film. I think it would be great!

    .

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  7. Hello Nick, You’ve probably been asked this question a hundred times, but as a debutant author on Amazon I’m really interested in how you first marketed your books and created an author brand. Kind Regards, Dougie.

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    • Hi Dougie,
      No real secrets to share, I’m afraid, except a slow, continuous slog over many years on social media, and through using any channel I could think of including magazine reviews, public readings etc. It’s like moving a mountain. You just have to do a bit more shovelling every day and never get discouraged.
      xxx

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  8. Thanks so much for the quick reply Nik. Most of the authors I have spoken to have given similar advice. It certainly has been a learning curve. Like everyone else I could have decorated my entire house with rejection letters and there are times when it feel like I’m shovelling that mountain with a spoon but I’ve found the indie community to be amazingly helpful and always willing to give advice which is heartening. Thanks again Nik.
    Kind Regards,
    Dougie McHale

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  9. Discovered The Half Life of Hannah and I’m hooked on your books.
    I love the variation of your writing style and subjects .
    I’m not a chicklit gal but your interpretation totally suits the genre of books I tend read.
    I’ve read the Hannah books and Photographers wife – quickly becoming a favourite author.

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  10. Hi Nick

    I’ve just devoured The Other Son, having loved the style of The Photographer’s Wife.

    I can see I’ve got a few more choices for my next download and sure I’ll read them all, but where do you recommend I go next? 🙂

    I love the fact that your writing is so easy to read, I like a challenge sometimes, but mostly I prefer to find myself totally lost in a book which is what’s happened with yours. I can see faces, locations, even the pets in The Other Son, so thank you! 🙂 🙂

    Karen x

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    • Hi Karen,
      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know.
      It makes me so happy to hear from people who are enjoying my books.
      Please do write a short amazon review if you can find the time 😉
      As for your next read, I’m not sure. You could perhaps try The Half-Life of Hannah and sequel, Other Halves. Or The Case of the Missing Boyfriend + The French House. Do let me know how you get on. xxx

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      • Amazon review written and have just bought 13:55 Eastern Standard Time, The Other Son bonus and The Half Life of Hannah…

        I’m supposed to be working! 🙂

        x

  12. The Other Son was the result of a random find on Kindle. A great read an such a pleasure to find loads of really good dialogue. Now on to The Photographers Wife. Enjoyed your BREXIT blog – now what?

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  14. Just finished La Femme du Photographe. C’est formidable!!!!! 5 étoiles!!!This is my first reading of your works and I loved it, to the point I couldn’t stop thinking about it hours after I’d finished it. THAT is a good measure of a book’s success. I could have read it in English but it’s so much more interesting to read things in French and keeps “the little grey cells” more active. I will surrender to reading the English-only titles because I like your work enough to read it in English, and I very much look forward to The Other Son currently being translated in French. Maybe you’ll start writing in French from now on.

    So much of what I’ve read in this life had been professional or spiritual, and reading your work is a late night vacation, a mystery without blood, gore or terror, thank you very much.

    Many great blessings and success on your creative endeavors. I want to enjoy them all!
    Carell Zaehn (pronounced Carol Zahn)

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  15. I am really enjoying your books, Nick. I really love the variety – The Missing Boyfriend, The Other Son and The Photographer’s Wife, all by the same author – what a treat! I love the detailed characters, and you are also pretty good at authentic plots and descriptions of place. There is an element of the poignancy of Anne Tyler in your novels – do you read her books? what kinds of novels do you like? I teach creative writing, and am always looking of examples of good writing to recommend to my students. Consider yourself on the recommended list 🙂

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  16. Hi, been reading your books for years but this is the first time I’ve found my way to your website. There’s only a dash between you and a scary american televangelist- found him first. However, I need to tell you something- when Let the Light Shine came out I was up til 5am finishing the bloody thing! You’re far too good. And very relevant.

    PS so sorry to hear about Paloma. When I first met her in Fifty Reasons I had no idea she was still around til recently.

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    • Hi Willow. I’m so glad you enjoyed Let the Light Shine. Sorry about the evangelist scare and the lack of sleep! Still missing Paloma every day, but such is the nature of love and life and loss. xxx

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  17. Hi Nick, I started reading 50 Reasons and followed up each novel released. I now need to go back and revisit them all. The Hannah series I read sometime ago and re read during early 2016. Due to a backlog of novels I have still not begun Let the Light Shine 😖. Once Christmas is over and January is a lack lustre month usually, I will begin my treat. I love words, have written things in the past but never brave enough to actually ‘write’. I love your style in story, clothes and life wise. Your Christmas tale, saddened me, lifted me, reminded me (of my departed brother and his cats) 💕, moved me, made me smile but most of all made me appreciate the beautiful small things in life, especially snow. As for the huge things running amok in this world, who needs to be reminded of them too often, off goes the news, on goes the music, out come my crayons and books, bliss…….. thank you Nick. Happy Christmas to you Lolo, Patti and Mangy and Paloma wherever she is, smiling down x

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    • Thanks for the lovely message, Angela.
      I hope you’re well and that you enjoyed the latest tome!
      I’m pretty sure I replied at Christmas, but as it seems to have vanished, here it is again! Nick. Xxxx

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  18. Greetings Nick,

    I have just discovered your novels this morning in Sydney…Amazon sent me an email and I checked them out and bought 5 immediately. Now I am well into The Other Brother and cant put it down. Thank you for persevering. Your bio notes are interesting as well. I paint, like your family, but wish I could write too, (even tho it is said “a picture paints a thousand words”). Keep on keeping on – and thank you!

    Sandy

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  19. Hi Nick, I just finished reading Things we Never Said last night. I loved it. Such an original idea. I’ve ordered more of your books, so look forward to reading them as well. I just love discovering new (to me) authors. Keep on writing. Xx

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  20. Hi Nick…..I just finished reading The Other Son….totally loved it…….really couldn’t put it down….just the sort of book unseen looking to read in ages…..realistic believable and beautifully crafted and hurray realistic gay characters not stereo types well thought out and i just really enjoyed it thank you
    Barrie

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  21. Dear Nick,
    It is 2.15am here in an icy cold Cambridge … and I have just greedily finished Things We Never Said. It was completely random selection that I chose to read it – I don’t think I even read a synopsis.
    So, imagine my surprise as you painted the geographical landscape that I live in, mention the hospital I am a nurse at ( in oncology!).
    The content though … as someone who lost a parent at a young age, it obviously had so much meaning to me.
    More than anything though, it made me think about all the unsaid and possibly never to be said truths and secrets in relationships.
    I read the first 30% to my husband last night ( before charging on myself!) and even he, with his scientific mind, was pulled right into the story along with me.
    Thank you for this stunning piece of writing. My praise doesn’t begin to do it justice …

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  22. Nick,
    Are you the Nick Alexander researching the sands family. If you are, may I say how pleasing it is to see your findings built from accurate research. So much of the family history I have seen on the net is pure speculation. I note one of your posts regards the family in guildford and the not necessarily related Sandes from send in Surrey. It may be of interest to you that I came across book in dorking library that stated that Abraham sandes of guildford built his daughter Ann a house in shere, on land previously part of the nine elms estate once owned by his relation oliver sands of shere.
    Do you have any info regarding this part of the family.
    Regards
    Duncan Sands.

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  23. Just a short note of appreciation for your books. Thoroughly enjoyed ‘Things We Never Said ‘ which I read previously. Just finished ‘The Other Son’ tonight. Already downloaded the Christmas Bonus book. Look forward to reading it too. Enjoy your writing very much, particularly the honesty and believability (horrible word) of your characters. Again, many thanks. Look forward to reading more of your work. Best wishes, Charlie

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  24. I have just binge-read the ’50 reasons’ series after reading your latest novel, and realising I’d already read all the others. I’m in that odd stage that can happen after getting really immersed in great books, where I have to remind myself that the characters don’t exist as friends in my real life, and I can’t check on them to see how they are. I can’t add anything further without leaking spoilers. I have only one request really; please write more books!

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    • Wonderful news! So glad you enjoyed them. When you say the latest one is that the *really* latest one, ie YTMK? If so, I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait a while…

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      • It is the really latest one, sadly. Which I loved so much I went looking to see if I’d missed any of your other books, which led to binge reading the ’50 Reasons’ series, and means I have now run out! Tragic. Anyway, don’t let me distract you from the important business of writing more books 😉

  25. Thankfully last year I discovered an early book, promptly ordered a couple more for my kindle. By then you had a fan, at that time living in France. From then I ordered all of your books, other than the ‘50’ series. Currently reading your latest YTMN, and about to order the last group.
    Dear Nick Alexander, thank you.

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  26. Hi Nick. I’ve just finished (5 minutes ago), The Half-Life Of Hannah and Other Halves, having already read every other one of your books that I could find. Being a confirmed Francophile, the references to France make the books even more interesting for me. I’ve loved how you tackle sensitive subjects while weaving stories around very believable characters. Can’t wait for the next one. No pressure…

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  27. I’ve just finished “The Other Son”. What a totally enjoyable book. When I realised it had finished I was so disappointed. I couldn’t believe how much the story related to my own life. You must really be a brilliant observer. I did so want Bruno to find Joe for Alice so hopefully there will be a follow up. I got totally immersed in the characters which is testament to your writing skills. I’ve just downloaded the Half Life of Hannah and hope I will love these characters as much. I was also interested to see you lived in Wolverhampton for a while. You escaped well then. I live just outside so I am allowed to say that. Please keep up the good work to enable us to get embroiled in a totally good read. Thank you.

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  28. Bon soirée Nick. I’m a late starter, but then again I have so much to look forward to now. I’ve just finished The French house, I loved it.. to be brutally honest I ordered it years ago, and it just sat in a box in my linen room. Argh what a waste partly because of moving into our French house which seriously needed renovating I just had no time. But then came the virus and lockdown and time to clear out and ohh look what I found! And time to read time to go to another room to get away from my husband, 9 weeks together day & night gets a bit much. YES I read it and loved it. Now need to go back on Amazon to order the next book, don’t know which one thou. I liked it because it was set in France and so many things rang true about the French and the way of life here..what do you suggest I read next?
    Oh and I moved to France from Margate Road Ramsgate 🙂

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    • Hi Louise. I’m so happy you’re enjoying the books. My The French House is an old one! I’m not sure what to advise you to read next. They’re all quite different… If you want another one that has a “french bit” then you could try The Other Son 😉 I hope you enjoy. xxx PS. Where are you in France, BTW?

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  29. Hi Nick,
    Our mutual friend Brian in Brisbane told me about your 50 Reasons series after I told him how much I love to write, and I’m loving the books. Thank you.
    I haven’t had anything published yet. A bit like your early days when no one seems interested. So I’ve made a note of lulu.com after reading your bio. Thanks again! 😀
    Pete. Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia

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  30. I only discovered you this summer but have already devoured most of your books in this short space of time because they have engrossing plots, are beautifully written, and contain such universal themes. Once I pick up one of your books it’s difficult to pt down! Please keep writing, keep your wonderful stories coming – I’m grateful to have found an author with such consistency and a style I really love.

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  31. Just reading From Something Old and absolutely loving it! I’ve recently joined a bookclub and realised ( from all the books I’ve read of late and having to choose one soon for the club) that my reading matter has become very dark: Tender is the Flesh, being a prime example. Anyway, I love your writing style: such a gentle touch, very light and earnest with an utterly beautiful use of language. I’m hooked!

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  33. Hi Nick
    I have a sense of deja-vue reading one of your books.
    In 2006 or thereabouts I rented an apartment on Rue Parollieres in Nice.
    The owner was a developing author of gay-themed novels. There were several copies of one, maybe two, novels there.
    I recall reading one or both with pleasure
    Could that have been you?
    Peter

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