Michael B Fletcher has been interested in stories all his life, from hiding away in libraries as a young boy to expanding his imagination with stories and inventive games as he grew older.
His favourite authors were many, from Enid Blyton, Arthur Ransome, E Nesbit to CS Lewis and most especially JRR Tolkien. Of course, this led to writing and oral story telling. While he was always writing and drawing, he also spent some time composing poetry and painting.
His first novel was an attempt at a fantasy epic, begun for a girlfriend at the age of 23 and finished over thirty years later. All during this time Fletcher became involved in telling imaginative stories to children. From nieces, nephews, his own children and grandchildren he’s always been in demand for a bedtime story.
1973 was a year of change. He graduated from university with a science degree, won an art prize and settled in Canberra with his bride, Kim. Ten years later, he, Kim and their three boys moved to Tasmania, where he took up a position with the State’s farming body. Kim was not idle. Besides raising her three sons she wrote a number of herb books, most including line drawings by her husband, Michael.
Fletcher began seriously writing in 2005 by attending a ‘Write a Novel in a Year’ course in Launceston. Thus began the start of his first serious novel, Masters of Scent. The world of writers rubbed off and he met many people who were of influential in his writing journey.
He and a close writing colleague and friend began a small writing group which met monthly and aided all members in improving their craft with the ultimate aim of being published. While the membership changed over the years most of the participants did become published.
During this time Fletcher drafted and redrafted the first book of his Masters of Scent trilogy before working on books two and three. He also completed a Holmesglen Certificate of Professional Writing, a Olvar Wood Fiction Writing Course and a Fiona McIntosh Fiction Writing Masterclass.
Fletcher, a writer focusing on adult and YA speculative fiction including fantasy, science fiction and horror had his first success when Kings of Under-Castle, an anthology of humorous adventures featuring two rogues living under a medieval castle, was published by IFWG Publishing Australia in 2013.
Subsequently book 1 of his Masters of Scent fantasy trilogy was published by the same publishing house in November 2022, while Tumblers of Rolan and then Shadow Scent are to be released in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Fletcher has also co-authored Kat, a YA science fiction with Paula Boer, which is to be published by IFWG Publishing in October 2023.
Fletcher has also had published over ninety short stories, many with a ‘dark’ or fantasy bent, in magazines and anthologies in Australia, USA and the UK. An anthology A Taste of Honey, containing 43 of his stories was published by Double Dragon in late 2021.
Michael B Fletcher 