TOPPING, Keith A. 1963-

PERSONAL: Born October 26, 1963, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England; son of Thomas (a shipbuilder) and Lily (a homemaker; maiden name, Lamb) Topping. Education: Charles Trevelyan College of Arts and Technology, degree, 1983. Hobbies and other interests: "Socializing with friends, foreign travel, loud (mainly British) guitar-based popular music, trashy British horror movies of the sixties and seventies, television and films, football, archaeology, military and social history, comedy, Chinese food, reading, swimming, current affairs."

ADDRESSES: Agent—John McLaughlin, Campbell, Thomson, McLaughlin, 1 King's Mews, London WC1N 2JA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Administrative officer for an employment service, 1983-2001; full-time writer, 2001—.

WRITINGS:

(With Paul Cornell and Martin Day) The Guinness Book of Classic British TV, Guinness Publishing, 1993.

(With Paul Cornell and Martin Day) The Avengers Programme Guide, Virgin Publishing, 1994.

(With Paul Cornell and Martin Day) The Doctor Who Discontinuity Guide, Virgin Publishing, 1995.

Hollywood Vampire: The Unofficial Guide to "Angel," Virgin Books, 2000.

Slayer: The Totally Cool Unofficial Guide to Buffy, Virgin Publishing, 2000, revised edition published as Slayer: An Expanded and Updated Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 2002.

High Times: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Roswell High, 2001.

Byzantium: A First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, and Vicki Novel (historical novel), BBC Publishing, 2002.

Ghost Ship (horror novel), Telos Publishing, 2002.

The Inside Bartlet's White House, 2002.

Doctor Who: Ghost Ship, 2002.

Slayer: An Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Season Six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 2003.

A Day in the Life: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to 24, Virgin Publishing, 2003.

Writer for the television series I Love the '70s, aired by British Broadcasting Corp., and the radio series The Zoo, Radio Newcastle, British Broadcasting Corp. Work represented in anthologies, including Drabble Who, Beccon Publications, 1993; Perfect Timing, 1998; Missing Pieces, Gallifrey Press, 2001; and Lifedeath, Ambrosia Press, 2001. Contributor to periodicals, including Sounds, When Saturday Comes, Wondrous Stories, Cult TV, Shivers, Starburst, TV Zone, and Intergalactic Enquirer. Past coeditor, Antonine; past contributing editor, Dreamwatch.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Two science-fiction novels, 1966, and All That and The Pirates Song; A Vault of Horror, a critique of horror films; two horror novels, The Scourge and The Man in the Closet; a treatment for a proposed television series, The Dust Commission, with Martin Day; research on the history of Newcastle United Football Club, "for a book I'll almost certainly never get around to writing!"

SIDELIGHTS: Keith A. Topping told CA: "I view writing very much the same way that I'm sure my father viewed his occupation—as a skilled trade, rather than anything else. So the primary motivation for writing is financial before artistic. Having said that, my pride won't allow me to submit substandard work.

"For many years I freelanced as a sideline to my main occupation. However, in late 2001 I finally made the break and turned to writing full-time. This has allowed me to travel more, and I feel that my writing has become more professional as a result."