Richard worked as a musician during the 80s and 90s - as guitarist & songwriter for new wave band St Vitus Dancers, then briefly as keyboardist for Playing at Trains & James before becoming singer / songwriter with his own band, ET. He turned to writing in 1997, beginning with experimental short stories and essays.His first novel, Machine Nation, was originally published in 2002. Since then, he has received Writer's Bursary and Individual Artist Awards from Arts Council England and has contributed factual articles and short fiction to several publications. Richard gives regular talks on the development of humanoid robots and lives in Manchester, England.