On July 20, 1984, Alex Willmott was born in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, a middle child of three boys. From an early age, Alex captured the imagination of his peers and teachers with his bizarre ramblings about a fantasy world that often took his attention away from his schoolwork.
At 15-years-old, Alex co-wrote a fantasy play, which was later produced by a large Welsh theatre company in Brecon. That same year Alex became one of the youngest finalists in the international poetry competition: The John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry. He lost. Big time.
At 18-years-old, Alex left South Wales to study contemporary performance in the North of England, where he began to work on his visually-driven approach to creative writing. Turning down a position at a Manchester theatre company, Alex decided to sharpen his writing skills and was offered a scholarship to train as a newspaper reporter. It was during a news placement in York that Alex began penning the Selah trilogy.
Selah: A Rebellious Hope gained national recognition from esteemed journalists and continues to receive glowing reviews from critics and punters alike. New York Times Best Selling Author G.P Taylor wrote the foreword of Selah after being moved by the novel. Alex later sold the rights of the first Selah book to two London film producers. They didn’t make the film. A Hollywood screenplay of Selah lives in a cupboard somewhere. What a fucking shame.
The second book in the trilogy, Those who Arrive in Darkness, gained further national praise. Reviewers gave the book the highest endorsements and tipped Alex for continued success in the fantasy genre. He hasn’t finished the trilogy. Not even close.
Alex received national praise for his first series of short stories – Boxman, which was likened to the work of Stephen King by literary critics. Fantasy, Sci Fi and Historical Fiction make up the Boxman series. Glowing reviews from readers and critics have led to calls for a quick release of the second series. Alex hasn’t written a second series. Again, not even close.
Currently, Alex is writing two screenplays. They’re both very fucking cool. Alex is also presently without literary representation. He’s ok about that. Mainly. Sometimes he walks into the fiction aisles of Waterstones and becomes overcome with intense melancholy. If you see him during this time, don’t panic. It only last 12-15 minutes.
When Alex isn’t writing, he enjoys Welsh rugby, Blackburn Rovers and Guinness – but mostly being married to the actor Edith Kirkwood. This text is in italics to emphasise the end of the page. Enjoy your day.
Contact Alex: @alexinboxes
