He has spent nearly forty years in the oil business, which has taken him into some of the most remote and inaccessible corners of the earth, from the depths of the Sahara to the wild Australian Outback, from the windswept Shetlands to the frozen wastes of Canada, from the polders of Holland to the lush pastures of New Zealand. He has climbed pyramids in Egypt and Palenque and been entertained in the harems of the Hadhramaut; shot pheasant on Scottish estates and caught game fish off White Island; canoed icy rivers in Canada and climbed erupting Hawaiian volcanoes; been attacked by marauding Libyans and dodged Scud missiles in Arabia; and all his experiences are finding their way into his novels.

His first published novel "Tango" was conceived while Mark was working on a North Sea oil platform. It was started in 1979, then shelved until 1987, when it was dusted off, completed, and first published in 1989 by Robert Hale of London.

"The Falcon's Nest" is based on Mark's personal experiences in the wealthy sheikhdom of Abu Dhabi. He was approached – very, very subtly – to act as an intermediary for some highly illegal activities. Mark declined to get involved, but that gave him the idea for "The Falcon's Nest". Virtually every incident and anecdote in this book is based on an actual event, except one – and that could still happen...

"Mother of Inventions" employs the same main characters as "The Falcon's Nest". This is the story of their search for the Iraqi atom bombs, whose existence no-one will officially acknowledge. They find them – but not before the Iraqis place one of them in the heart of a European capital. A chilling premonition, perhaps...?

When he is not lecturing or working in some remote oil province, Mark Atwell lives with his wife, a large black cat and (currently) three baby squirrels on the Atlantic coast of Florida.