Stan writes both non-fiction and fiction under the pen name Stan L. Abbott and is also a working journalist, writing for a number of magazines in the outdoor leisure sector, as well as being a feature writer for The New European newspaper, covering a variety of topics.

His first novel, The Episode, was published in February 2019 to critical acclaim, by Sixth Element, and is a graphic and gripping fictionalised account of the fantasy world created during a manic episode. He is currently working on a second novel set in a dystopian Britain that has fractured into conflicting mini-states. Click here to find out more about Stan’s fiction books.

Stan’s non-fiction publisher is Saraband, with which he has two books currently in print and a third on the way. Walking the Line: Exploring Settle & Carlisle Country is based on journey on foot between Settle and Carlisle and was published to critical acclaim in June 2021. It was shortlisted for the Lakeland Book of the Year Award in July 2022. Ring of Stone Circles: Lore and Legends of Neolithic Cumbria describes a journey by electric cycle taking in more than 30 surviving Neolithic and Bronze Age stone circles in and around the English Lake District. It was published in April 2022. Click here to find out more about Stan’s non-fiction books.

Having begun his journalistic career in York, Stan went on to write for many national and regional newspapers and magazines. For some years he ran a successful publishing business in the Yorkshire Dales and has also edited several award-winning magazines. He wrote two books about the historic battle to save the Settle & Carlisle Railway during this time and is currently Chair of the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild.

Stan has also worked in the airline industry and used to run an international communications consultancy. He lives in Durham and the Lake District with his wife and a fluctuating number of cats.