About

Foundation

Marc Johnstone was born just outside Reading, Berkshire. He is the eldest of three siblings, all of whom have followed their career dreams. As a child, Marc was immersed in the wonders of Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and HG Wells who crafted stories about adventure, time travel, mystery and alien invasion.

Later on, he would explore Mars with Ray Bradbury in his epic Martian Chronicles. Then, he discovered Isaac Asimov Foundation Series. Some of his earliest creative inspirations came from reading Arthur C Clarkes “2001 A Space Odyssey” and “Rendezvous with Rama”. These books described the human race’s first contact with extraterrestrial life. Larry Nivens, “Ringworld” was another one of Marc’s favourite books as it reminded him of a Dyson Sphere and overnight it had become one of his favourite books, a true science fiction classic.

By then, Marc was already writing his own short science fiction stories about deep space exploration. Later on, he was lucky enough to meet Ben Bova at a local bookstore when he purchased “Voyagers II”. Ben Bova was kind enough to sign Marc’s copy, but it was Ben’s professional advice that he treasured, “Write about your dreams, what you’re interested in and have fun in your journey of discovery“. All of Marc’s early fiction reads taught him that there are endless possibilities in the universe and that the human imagination is full of new ideas.

Discovery

Marc comes from a small family with humble beginnings, but his family lineage can be traced back to Stirling, Scotland. Marc quickly followed the family tradition and started to explore the world at an early age. When he was ten years old, he ventured out along the country lanes that spanned the rolling Chiltern Hills. During these early adventures, he would stop at the small villages and wonder who had built these historic houses and what were they like. Marc found history fascinating, the further back in time we go, the less we know about humanity’s past. His father was very religious, but when Marc asked him about the simple lack of dinosaurs in the bible, his father didn’t know and for Marc, the mysteries of humanity’s origins grew.

When Marc started secondary school, he discovered that he loved science, technology, history and English. He had even considered a career as a fast jet pilot as he was interested in aviation and spaceflight. Thou it was Mr Doyle, a humorous and brilliant English teacher, who loved the classics and Shakespeare that gave Marc another career option. Mr Doyle suggested that he should become a journalist or even a writer after he had read some of Marc earlier writing science fiction projects. But when Marc left school, he followed a different career path and ended up working with his father. During this part of his career, he enrolled at the Open University and studied environmental science. Later on, he studied planetary science, astronomy, cosmology, geology and the search for extra-terrestrial life, which still fascinates him today.

Adventurer

When Marc worked with his father, he learnt how to make a business successful and how to develop the operations team. A few years later, Marc changed professions and moved into international trade operations. Marc worked for various global technology businesses across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in his corporate life. During these assignments, he learned many new skills and made new friendships as he explored their countries’ rich cultures, histories and stunning landscapes. But his love of science fiction and spy thrillers never dwindled. Though, it was in a hotel room in Germany that he finally rediscovered his writing passion. By then, Marc already knew that his years of corporate life were coming to an end and a new career as a writer was about to start.

Random Facts about Marc

      • When Marc was a child, he wanted to be an astronaut and the first person on Mars.
      • Would love to visit Alaska or even walk on the moon.
      • Never been to a premier league football, tennis or cricket match.
      • Favorite meal is chilli, thou without tomatoes which may sound odd.
      • Never smoked. I think it’s one of the worst habits ever invented, but that’s my personal opinion only.
      • If Marc were to win the lottery, he would build a new Passivhaus house in Stirling, Scotland. But we can all dream.
      • Marc is a keen environmentalist and supports many different charities and green projects.
      • If he could go back in time, he would love to visit Roswell, New Mexico 1947 and Dallas in 1963 to find out what really happened. Or even go back in time to watch the pyramids being built.
      • He loves to spend time in the mountains. The clean, crisp mountain air always smells like a chilled orchard in the sky.
      • Click here for my Interests.

Anything else

      • Well, I’m not a political person, but I do believe in working together for the common good as we are all children of Earth. In my mind, I’ll always be a European citizen.