The Human Script: A novel in 23 chromosomes

After publishing a series of award-winning guidebooks about universities and student life, Johnny turned to fiction and became a student at the world-famous MA course in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where he was taught by, among others, Sir Andrew Motion, Lorna Sage and W.G. Sebald. He also mixed with some of the great names in contemporary fiction: Sir Malcolm Bradbury, Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Doris Lessing, Hanif Kureishi, Ali Smith, Louis de Bernières and many others. While at UEA, Johnny wrote the first draft of his debut novel The Human Script. He was immediately snapped up by a top London literary agent, but it was another 12 years before the book was published by independent imprint Red Button. Apart from his work as a writer, Johnny is well known as an expert on higher education and careers. He appears regularly on TV and radio discussing education issues and runs a programme of talks in schools. He is also said to have discovered a new species of spider and once had a painting shown in the gallery of the BBC programme Take Hart, aged 10. Johnny lives in London.