Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams biography

Roderick Gordon was born, grew up and went to university in London. He worked in corporate finance in the City until 2001. He counts a number of writers and poets among his ancestors such RD Blackmore, Philip Doddridge and Matthew Arnold plus two paleontologists and celebrated eccentrics, William and Frank Buckland. He recently moved with his family from London to north Norfolk.

Brian Williams grew up in Zambia until moving to Liverpool with his family in the seventies. He attended The Slade School of Fine Art and, after graduating, has continued with painting, writing and film-making, which has encompassed both his own films and also working as art director and acting in a number of UK productions. He presently lives in Hackney.

Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams co-wrote and self-published The Highfield Mole in March 2005. The hardback sold-out in only half a day thanks chiefly to a book review in The Book and Magazine Collector. It reachied 156th place in the Amazon.co.uk sales rankings. Barry Cunningham of Chicken House signed the co-authors for the first two books in the series, Tunnels and Deeper.The Highfield Mole (Tunnels) is planned to be the first in a young adult series about a fourteen year-old, Will Burrows, who lives with his family in the fictitious London borough of Highfield. He is a lonely boy whose sole passion in life is all things archaeological and, under his father's influence, he embarks upon extensive excavations. His father, Dr Burrows, the curator of a local down-in-the-mouth museum, begins to notice rather strange people in the vicinity. While investigating them he inexplicably goes missing. This turns Will's world upside down, and his attempts to find his father lead him into a horrific subterranean world.

The Highfield Mole - "Highfield" is an amalgam of places in London - Highgate, High Barnet, Enfield, etc, and it was also the name of RG's primary school in north London. The "Mole," of course, refers to Will Burrows, and was influenced by "The Edge Hill Mole," namely Joseph Williamson, whose network of tunnels beneath Liverpool was a great inspiration for the book. We thought it was a memorable title, but Chicken House wanted something with a more modern feel that reflected where the series of books will be leading. And we all felt it was important to have a fresh name for the re-edited book. Barry and Imogen from Chicken House came up with the first alternative, which we all kicked around and finally Tunnels was chosen.

Brian Williams: On the naming of the book, Tunnels