After a highly rewarding career in private practise law, I decided it was time for a change of direction. I semi-retired (I still work part time), enrolled in an MFA in creative writing at City University and started my third attempt at writing a novel. Four years later, the novel is finished and is available on Amazon (POD and Kindle) and directly from me (please e-mail me at simon@autonomouswriting.com. The MFA is also completed (the picture on the left is me receiving an Outstanding Academic Paper Award with fellow awardee Joe Holroyd and MFA programme leader Xu Xi) and I have started a PhD in English literature.