Eugene Byrne was born in Waterford, in Ireland's southeast corner, but brought up in Somerset. He says, "I used to think I was weird and slightly exotic because in Somerset back in them days I *was* the local racial minority".

He now lives in Bristol, where he is a freelance journalist and deputy editor of Venue, the city's what's on magazine.

His most recent book, Things Unborn, was published in April 2001 by Earthlight. It's a parallel universe fantasy about dead people coming back to life. It includes as a minor character an attendee from Octocon 1999 who won a place in the book in a raffle at the closing ceremony.

He has also written the novel ThigMOO, as well as Back in the USSA, which he co-wrote with Kim Newman, with whom he shares a passion for alternative history stories.

Besides this, he is a charming and genial guest, and an asset to any convention that is lucky enough to have him.