Duncan Saunders has done many things in his life: As well as being a writer, he has been a teacher, a wrestler, a Church youthworker, a carer, a charity worker and a martial arts instructor. Duncan lives in the shadow of the Uffington White Horse, sharing his wizardly tower with his sons and cat. He enjoys games; war games, card games, dice games and board games. If it's a game, there's a chance he'll play it. Duncan is partial to Indian food and real ale, and will accept donations of either.
Duncan also enjoys walks in the countryside and talking about himself in the third person.
Discussing the inspiration for “The Guard Cat”, Duncan explained that he has always liked cats. There’s something about their aloof manner and self sufficiency; there is an old saying that dogs have owners, cats have staff which seems to ring true and ever since he was very young, Duncan has always had at least one cat sharing his world. The other half of the inspiration for The Guard Cat came after the winter of 1981, when his village was cut off from the world without power for several days. Reading by candlelight and eating toast cooked on the fire while the world outside was frozen and inaccessible made quite an impression on him as a young boy. The idea that the storm was a threat, part of a sinister plan came during a later winter and the ideas really took form when Duncan was at a candlelit carol service, absent-mindedly reading an old tombstone inside the church. Duncan's literary influences include Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and G.P Taylor. Duncan's writing technique is described as “staring out of the window, thinking “what if...” and writing down the results.” His aim is to provide a sense of mystery and adventure in his writing, and to inspire future generations. If he can sell a few books along the way, so much the better!