Having originally trained as a biochemist - before realizing he wasn't much good at science - John Drake became an anchorman for PharmaVision, a live-TV broadcast service produced by ICI Pharmaceuticals. He left in 1999 to become a full-time writer. His hobbies and interests include muzzle-loading shooting, history and politics. `Flint and Silver' was inspired by the many unanswered questions left by Robert Louis Stevenson's much-loved classic, `Treasure Island'.