APOLLO STARK

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Apollo, whose given name is Andrew Seeby, was born in Welwyn Garden City's QE2 hospital on the 1st October 1965 at 3.15 pm, to Susan Margret and Malcom William Seeby. His mother, at the time was a waitress and his father, a scrap metal dealer. His schooling began at Beech Hyde Infant school in the village of Wheathampstead Hertfordshire, where he wrote his very first short story at the tender age of 9, and discovered the joy of creative writing. Moving up to secondary school in the same village, the serene life he'd led up until then suddenly took a troubling turn due to unfolding events at home. Unable to speak of the things he witnessed, he vented his frustration with words by chronicling his thoughts and feelings about his parents behaviour in a secret diary, which one day, having been discovered by his mother, mysteriously vanished. So he buried his head in books and the adventures of the characters in them. Left to his own devices, Andrew muddled through education without any parental support or encouragement for during that time, his parents split up and divorced. Despite the emotional impact, Andrew wrote and illustrated a 20,000 word, science fiction novella which earned him an A+ in English language. He remarkably also earnt moderate grades in every other subject he sat. Demonstrating his creative streak, he made a stop frame animation, clay model cartoon on 8mm cine film.

He wanted to continue in further education, to obtain an 'A' level English qualification, the longing to be a writer spurring him on, but his mother would not consent and he was forced to go to work at the age of 16 to bring money into the struggling household. Andrew went to work in an Orchid nursey as a trainee grower, but only one year later, after a family fight, he was thrown out of his home by his mother. He looked to his father for support but was turned away and ended up being taken in by his grandparents, and continued to work and went to college in London one evening a week to study botany. Another year on, at 18 years of age, Andrew's grandparents told him it was time for him to make his own way in the world. Unable to support himself on the trainee income he was earning, he took a job in a parcel sorting depot and moving into a bedsit, an entirely different education began, that of women, alcohol and drugs. Despite the unsavoury characters he unwittingly found himself surrounded by he continued to read and began writing supernatural tales, the written word his only addiction. Two years passed by, and restless with his lot, he moved from job to job and town to town, sleeping in his car, in the woods and in squats each time money grew tight, giving away his manuscripts to anyone who showed an interest in reading them. He found himself in ridiculous and sometimes horrendous situations, until moving to Watford, where he met the woman who would become his wife and the mother of his only child. 

Andrew continued to write, but instead of supernatural tales, he turned his creativity to nursery rhymes, nonsense verse and short stories for his baby son. Frustrated by the lack of an outlet for his work, he approached Watford's

arts and culture team. Molefe Pheto, who was head of the team at the time took an interest in Andrew's work and The Watford Writer's Alliance was founded. Spurred on by the interest his work began to generate, Andrew prolifically wrote and gave many recitals, developed and delivered several workshops and created his own imprint, Skull 'n' Bones, through which he began to publish his work. Unable to make a decent living from his writing, Andrew returned to a more green fingered job as a gardener/groundsman and his writing became sporadic.

Then life took a turn. Andrew and his wife separated and divorced. 

Now, some years on and after many trials and tribulations, he is the grandfather of two beautiful baby boys, and is writing and publishing his stories again. He still works full time as a gardener as well as a writer and publisher, and is hopeful his latest works will be recognised, accepted and enjoyed by a new audience of readers.       

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