Quick Bio

Hi.  I’m Gareth Mottram.  I write YA fiction and design dexterity and card games.

About Me

I have recently (2025) finished a career of teaching both teenagers and primary school children and now work part-time for an educational charity which leaves me time and head-space to create my world famous (nearly) novels and games.

I am married and have four children and a rescue dog called Ava.  I live in a small Essex village in the UK where I used to train (badly) in various martial arts but now enjoy the less painful joys of the squash court.  I also like a bit of walking and a lot of eating out and watching movies with cider and crisps… which is not good for the squash side of things.

About My Books and Games

I started writing when I was about twelve, inspired by a fantasy series by Stephen Donaldson.  Fiction wise, I write fantasy and modern-day paranormal novels with a focus on action, fabulous locations and getting deep into the protagonist’s head.  I have published my YA paranormal action trilogy of JASON WILLOW novels and now I’m working on DEADLOCK – a YA fantasy series set on a storm-wracked prison plateau for magic users and filled with dark powers, action and complex relationships. 

The Deadlock books will tie into a revolutionary new chess-like strategy card game I’m designing called BATTLE.  You’ll be able to recreate the skirmishes in the books using a wide range of beautifully illustrated cards as well as set up your own conflicts.  While I’m working on that, I’ve released BATTLE ACE, a core rules version of Battle which you can play with just a normal deck of cards or online on Tabletopia.

I am also about to finish Weighty Banter – a non-fiction book about debating hot issues.  This will tie in with the WEIGHTY BANTER card game – a fun and friendly way into discussing contentious issues.   

You can find details about all of my current and future work on this very website and also on my Facebook page.