SIN - a memoir

Before I took what some might describe as a step down and became a journalist, I was an 'incurable' drug addict, criminal and jailbird. This is the story of my fall into the underworld and how I found a pathway out.

In jail, I became friends with the future overlord of New Zealand's most dangerous criminal organisation, Terry Clark, and his offsider, Errol Hincksman.

Nearly 10 years later, my liver shot from hepatitis, I tried to study journalism by day while burgling narcotics from chemist shops at night.

Not long after, presented with the stark choice of change or death, I began a long journey back to becoming the person I might have been had I taken a different path many years before. 

The story contains jail fights, escape attempts, LSD-fueled nightmares, double-crossings, violent armed rip-offs and a catastrophic accident.

The epilogue is set in Sydney, many years later. By then I was an editor, free-diver and spearfisherman, clean for years and utterly removed from my former life.

I believe its principle merit is that it offers those in similar situations evidence that they aren't alone, and that there is a way out of what seems like an inescapable maze.

I am working on my third draft of the manuscript, and need your help to take it to the next stage. The first $1000 raised will cover the cost of a professional assessment by an experienced book editor, and any additional donations will go towards the $3000 cost of a full edit.

Thank you for your support.