Helga Vern

Cold fusion under Sainsbury's? A secret Cold War bunker buried beneath a town in southern England was the site of early experiments into cold fusion. Notes left by a Soviet scientist hold the key, but when two teenagers discover them, a terrifying adventure begins. This is the theme of Helga Vern's first novel for teenagers, Staying Late.

About the author

Helga Vern writes:

I read biology at university, but being a biology teacher didn't really appeal, so I took a job as a technical author with a large IT company, producing titles such as Three Phase Line-to-ground Short Circuit Analysis and Analysis of Massive Survey Files. Some of it was crushingly boring! But I met some great people and experienced a lot of life.

It wasn't the best job for a creative person, though! Several times, when solid information was in short supply, I was accused of writing science fiction.

So this is the real me: science fiction writer. I have written two full-length novels that are currently being considered by international publishers, and a short novel for teenagers, Staying Late. I'm now working on a second novel for teenagers, called Sludge, all about yucky stuff.

I don’t aspire to be the next Dan Brown or J. K. Rowling. (The next Ursula K. Le Guin? Dream on, Helga.) All I want is to have some people read my books and enjoy them. And if I make enough money to buy a cheese and pickle sandwich, that’s fine. Who knows, maybe I’ll live long enough to write some more.

P.S. If you’d like to buy me that cheese and pickle sandwich, how about trying one of my books: