Dr. Peter “Doc” Stephenson is entering the realm of historical fiction after a 50-year career in technology during which he authored or contributed to over 20 books on computing, computer investigation, and computer security topics.
In addition to writing, Dr. Stephenson has been playing blues and Americana music for 70 years and it is through that performing, and after earning a PhD, that he was given the appellation, “Doc” by the owner of one of his performance venues.
Having visited Oxford several times and being employed by a UK company in nearby Malvern, it was only natural that he would set his tales in Oxfordshire. At the turn of the 21st century, Doc received his PhD from Oxford Brookes University so his academic experience in Oxford Town sealed the deal and resulted in his first novel, The Whispering Dead of Rewley Abbey.
“Whispering Dead” is the first in a series of murder mysteries, called “Murders in the Abbey”, that follow the carryings-on in Rewley Abbey (monks) and Godstow Abbey (nuns) from the end of the 13thcentury to the dissolution of convents and monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Dr. Stephenson lives with a 15-year-old dog and two Savannah cats on a pond in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Starting a “new” career at the age of 80, Doc reckons that he has only about the next 20 years to finish the series and retire – again – perhaps this time to Oxford.
