Born in England in 1958, C D Crane’s story began a long way from the rugged Australian landscapes that would eventually shape his life and inspire his writing.

At just six years old, C D emigrated with his family to Western Australia as part of the famous ‘£10 Poms’ migration scheme, joining thousands of British families seeking a new life Down Under.

Growing up in the port city of Fremantle, C D developed an early sense of independence and adventure. Leaving school at just 15, he swapped suburban life for the vast, unforgiving landscapes of rural Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, working as a jackaroo. It was an experience that introduced him to the harsh realities of life on the land, the resilience of its people, and the extraordinary character of the Australian outback.

C D later embarked on a long and varied career in mechanical engineering before retiring in 2023. Yet beneath the practical world of engineering lay a storyteller, with a lifetime of experiences, observations and imagination waiting to find their way onto the page.

His debut novel, Hope and Duty, marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter. The first instalment in The Sleeping Dog Series, a planned trilogy, introduces readers to Chris’s storytelling and marks his arrival as an Australian author.

Drawing on a lifetime shaped by adventure, hard work and the contrasting worlds of England and Australia, Chris brings a distinctive perspective to his writing.

For C D, Hope and Duty is more than a debut novel. It is the beginning of a long-held ambition realised, and the first chapter in a much larger story.