Author Bio.

Neil Austin was born in Australia, of English parents. He entered the work force as a house painters apprentice, gaining a trade well suited to his roaming life. As an avid reader, he absorbed his grammar and writing craft by osmosis rather than formal education.

In a lifetime of wandering, Neil has lived many lives, from the fringe cool of the inner city to the endless expanse of the outback. At an early age he found his hearts home in Buddhism, attracted to both the psychology and the profoundly practical meditation techniques it offered. He has received teachings from various sources; Tibetan Lamas, nuns, monks and qualified western teachers; completed numerous long and short term meditation retreats, and assisted in the transmission of authentic Buddhism to the west.

Neil’s love of solitude and private enquiry is balanced by a love of people and activity. His writing is informed by experience. From communal sharing to running a business, from a lust for love to celibacy. Buddhism, feminism, socialism, martial arts and yoga, addiction and recovery, poverty and building sites. … it’s all grist for the mill.

Neil found a talent for story telling in his 50’s. He began a tale on Facebook, posted in episodes as the muse channeled them to him, and that story found a few hundred fans. Their feedback encouraged him to publish. With some editing and expansion, that story became his first book – Kala Bear Wars: A New Mythology.

Neil continues to write short stories and has a new novel in process. He also writes essays on a variety of topics, inspired by his life experience and the current state of the world.