Bio: John Barber is a freelance writer who specializes in researching articles on radio, TV and movie stars from the 1960s to the 1980s for nostalgic magazines. He also writes background features for the trade press on the issue of Britain and the European single currency. A Little Local Affair is based on a period of Barber's life in which he lived in a small English rural town. He ran an "Off Licence" (liquor store to Americans) for five years and became involved in local politics, rumor and social intrigue amongst fellow traders and longtime residents. Prior to this, Barber was employed by National Westminster Bank and spent his career working in the overseas trade departments of large offices in London's financial district. In this role, he had daily contact with nationally known corporate businesses and familiar household names. The fraud at the center of A Little Local Affair is based on his experience in International Trade. Barber has now been writing for eight years, and A Little Local Affair has arisen from out of the valued spare hours during school holidays. John Barber resides in Hertford, England, with his wife and two children. A Little Local Affair is his debut novel.