Dan first came to our attention with his committed retweeting of all our twitter activity in the lead up to release The  Red Book – so much so he has an actual credit along with Chris Chartrand and Heather Dudley in The Red Book. He was also on the blog commenting on all the stories as we teased with small snippets. Today we’re thrilled to be able to officially welcome Dan, the fourth writer in The Yang Book and another fresh face to the CW family.

Born in the early seventies, Dan Powell grew up reading Marvel Comics. As a result he spent a large part of his childhood wanting to be Spider-man (something having two young sons has probably allowed him to achieve!)

Dan spent nearly ten years teaching English in secondary schools and now (almost exclusively) writes fiction of all shapes and sizes, between caring for his sons and working his way through an Open University Creative Writing course. Originally from the West Midlands (UK) Dan calls Gütersloh, Germany home these days.

When we asked why Dan said yes to his invitation, he had this to say:

Writing for a Chinese whisperings collection is a great opportunity to work with writers and editors in a new kind of collaboration.  Since first tripping over mentions of Chinese Whisperings on twitter in the middle of last year, I watched the website and Red Book project develop as Jodi, Paul and the writers of the first collection turned the intriguing concept into a unique collection of stories that not only lived up to the original idea but in many ways surpassed it. With each extract from the collection posted on the website the project ensnared more and more of my attention.

What happened when Dan bought The Red Book?

I read the first collection in two roughly equal sessions over a weekend. I was engrossed, not only in the stories of the individual characters, but also in how they fitted into the overall arc of the collection. When I finished the writer in me couldn’t help but get to thinking about what I might have written within the limitations and liberations of the Chinese Whispering ethos. I was already imagining myself as part of the collaborative writing process.

It seems inevitable now, from both sides, that an invitation would find its way to Dan.

When I got the email asking if I would like to take part in the second Chinese Whisperings project, the question wasn’t why would I say yes, but how could I say no. The opportunity to work with so many gifted emerging writers in a challenging and unique fictional environment, with editorial support and the promise of reading something of mine within the larger web of a Chinese Whisperings collection is simply too good to pass up.

I am on the edge of my seat just as I was while reading The Red Book, eager to find out what happens next. I hope you’ll follow the progress of Chinese Whisperings as the mystery of the Yin and Yang Books unfold.

Read Dan’s full bio and enjoy more of his writing at Dan Powell Fiction.

Dan has also recently had his story ‘Impact’  included in the 100 Stories for Haiti anthology, with all proceeds going to the British Red Cross effort in Haiti.