Martin J Dougherty hails from the North-East of England ("the castle capital of Europe") where he lives with his wife Helen and their innumerable cats. While studying Engineering and then Education at the University of Sunderland, Martin became involved in the sport of fencing. He has held the post of fencing instructor to the University team for over 12 years. Martin's interests include military studies and martial arts. He admits to being fond of Malt Scotch whisky and claims to be able to play the guitar.