ABOUT MARK
Born, raised and educated in the rural heart of England, Mark Blasdale is an internationally acclaimed author, seasoned traveller, lecturer, biographer and historian.
A self-diagnosed coffee-addict, hopeless list-writer and self-proclaimed Spirit of Christmas, Mark’s passion for writing stems from childhood when he was introduced to the works of Charles Dickens by a family friend. Now a serious collector of antiquarian volumes himself, and with influences that include Washington Irving, Mark Twain, John Keats, O’Henry, Damon Runyon, Percival C Wren and Paul Gallico, it’s little surprise that Mark is a passionate advocate of the Novella, Literary Sketch and Short Story.
His first book, Keeping Christmas, was published in 2014. Subsequent titles include All the Year Round (latterly titled A Day in the Life of Dickens), Six Hills: Spencer Bridge, Twelve Tales of Christmas, Christmas Miscellany, The Reckoning of Thaddeus Pike, Harrison’s Patch and 2019’s About Bloody Time, Daniel Lambert: A Life in Five Sittings, and Rewrapped: A Selection of Christmas Stories.
Mark’s interests, hobbies and influences, though too vast and varied to fully document here, include American history and politics, Victorian literature, rugby, hiking, ink & wash painting, cappuccino in all its wondrous forms, Mr Daniel Lambert, the history and traditions of Christmas, the philosophy of Mr Bob Ross, the teachings of American author/raconteur Shelby Foote, anything remotely connected to Charles Dickens, and the music of The Beach Boys.
“Mark always has such a wonderful way of expressing himself, ESPECIALLY over the holiday season! He’s so sentimental, articulate and well-spoken; I’m jealous! A very special Englishman.”
Shanel – California USA