Leigh Dyson is a local author whose talent has largely gone ‘under the radar’ outside his own circle of family and friends. Nevertheless, what began as little more than a hobby has ‘snowballed’, especially during the Covid lockdown years, into something quite creative and prolific. Since 2020, Leigh has published six novels and recently started work on a seventh.
Writing fiction had not been a long held ambition of Leigh’s. Indeed, he only ‘got the bug’ in 2019 after reviewing other people’s works. He enrolled on a Creative Writing course at Trent University and the feedback he received from his tutor and fellow students encouraged him to persevere.
Leigh had always had a keen interest in his family history and before writing his first novel, ‘The Magpie Barks’, he researched his family tree. He uncovered tales of lust, love and hidden intentions. What he learned was woven into the fabric of ‘The Magpie Barks’ to yield a fast-paced thriller of hardship and endurance led by real people and set in war-torn England of the 1940s.
Since then he has written further books gradually going further back in time and often situated around Wath upon Dearne, or Edwinstowe, where he now lives. The subject matter of these subsequent novels varies enormously but they are always underpinned by meticulous research and attention to detail. Future readers are in for a real treat.
‘Chasing Evil’ (2021) is a modern day thriller involving terrorists, police, MI5 and the underground, centered around an unlikely pair of detectives.
‘Treacle Town’ (2021) is set in Wath upon Dearne in the 1920s, when unemployment was rife, Spanish Flu raged and industrial unrest simmered.
‘Cuckoo Crossing’ (2021) takes the reader back to 1817 and The Wentworth Estate where privilege and service come into conflict.
In ‘Sister Hildraed’ (2022) medieval England is awash with brutality and rebellion. Will good win out?
‘Bennett’ (2023) transports you to the USA and a tale of drug cartels, crypto currency fraud, the FBI and an embattled President.
So, who is Leigh Dyson?
Born in 1955, raised and educated in South Yorkshire, Leigh is the first to admit that his early academic years are not a period he looks back on fondly. Nevertheless, success at 11-plus and education at Wath and Mexborough Grammar Schools would eventually lead to six O-levels.
During his working years, studies at Rockingham College and The Open University produced qualifications in management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
From 1972 until, as he puts it, he ‘fully retired’, in 2013, Leigh worked within and around the coal industry in increasingly more senior management roles. This included a significant period living and working near Liverpool, where his great love for Liverpool Football Club was nurtured.
For many years Leigh was a keen golfer and, while a member of Sherwood Forest Golf Club (SFGC) was persuaded to put his knowledge and expertise to work. Leigh was Chairman of SFGC from 2007 to 2016 and oversaw something of a modernisation of the club together with the construction of the driving range and practice area. In recognition of his service Leigh was subsequently made a life member of the club.
Writing has now become his main hobby, with golf very much taking a back seat. When he is not writing, Leigh enjoys spending time with his grandsons, socialising in Edwinstowe village or simply relaxing in
the wonderful environment of Sherwood Forest.
All of Leigh’s novels are self-published via Amazon Publishing and are variously available in hardback, softback and audio formats. Visit the Amazon website, spend a little money and enjoy the reads. You won’t be disappointed.
Steve Deeman (friend and fan)