Tej Turner does not have any particular place he would say he is ‘from’, as his family moved between various parts of England during his childhood. He eventually settled in Wales, where he studied Creative Writing and Film at Trinity College in Carmarthen, followed by a master’s degree at The University of Wales Lampeter.
Since then, Tej has mostly resided in Cardiff, where he works as a chef by day and writes by moonlight. His childhood on the move seems to have rubbed off on him because when he is not in Cardiff, it is usually because he has strapped on a backpack and flown off to another part of the world to go on an adventure.
When he travels, he takes a particular interest in historic sites, jungles, wildlife, native cultures, and mountains, and so far, he has clocked two years in Asia and a year in South America. He also spent some time volunteering at the Merazonia Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Ecuador, a place he intends to return to someday. He also hopes to go on more adventures and has his sights set on Central America next.
Firsthand accounts of Tej’s adventures abroad can be found on his travel blog on his website. A place he also posts author-related news.
His debut novel The Janus Cycle was published by Elsewhen Press in 2015 and its sequel Dinnusos Rises was released in 2017. Both are hard to classify within typical genres but were semi-biographical in nature with elements of magical realism. They have often been described as ‘gritty and surreal urban fantasy’.
He has since branched off into writing epic fantasy and has an ongoing series called the Avatars of Ruin. The first instalment – Bloodsworn – was released in 2021, and its sequel Blood Legacy is due out in 2022. He is currently engaged in writing the third instalment (Blood War).
The Janus Cycle, Tej’s first novel, was published by Elsewhen Press on 2nd January 2015.
Tej’s story The Last Days is included in the anthology Existence is Elsewhen which was published by Elsewhen Press on 18th March 2016.
Dinnusos Rises, Tej’s second novel, set in the same urban landscape as The Janus Cycle was published by Elsewhen Press on 7th April 2017.
Bloodsworn, Book 1 of Tej’s epic fantasy series, The Avatars of Ruin, was published by Elsewhen Press on 8th January 2021.
Blood Legacy, Book 2 of Tej’s epic fantasy series, The Avatars of Ruin, was published by Elsewhen Press on 11th February 2022.
Reviews:
- “This book moved me to tears” – Allen Stroud writes about The Janus Cycle by Tej Turner on Shepherd.com
- “full-frontal, Gonzo storytelling” – review of The Janus Cycle and Dinnusos Rises on All Things Jill-Elizabeth
- “unusual blend of urban fantasy, mythology and self-discovery” – review of Dinnusos Rises on SFcrowsnest
- “excellent in every possible way” – review of Dinnusos Rises on RisingShadow
- “Attention to detail” – review of Dinnusos Rises by Sheri A. Wilkinson
- “whole-hearted recommendation” – review of Dinnusos Rises on HumanitysDarkerSide
- “brilliant gathering of short fiction” – review of Existence is Elsewhen in Aurealis magazine
- “a sharp collection” – 8/10 review of Existence is Elsewhen on Starbust Magazine
- “excellent and wonderfully imaginative” – review of Existence is Elsewhen on Risingshadow
- “excellent story” – review of The Janus Cycle by The Mole
- “truly magical” – Allen Stroud reviews The Janus Cycle on SFBook Reviews
- “Poor little Tilly. Tej Turner made me want to hug her” – review of The Janus Cycle on HumanitysDarkerSide
- “intriguing and insightful” – review of The Janus Cycle on Risingshadow
News:
- Travel broadens the mind, even inspiring fictional worlds March 14, 2022
- Blood Legacy by Tej Turner out today February 11, 2022
- Independent small press to publish new titles despite resurging pandemic December 28, 2021
- New epic fantasy series from Tej Turner starts with a bloodoath January 8, 2021
- Revealed: Cover for new epic fantasy from Tej Turner November 23, 2020
- Launch party for Dinnusos Rises – Tej Turner talks in a tent July 12, 2017
- Out now – Dinnusos Rises by Tej Turner April 7, 2017
- Tej Turner interviewed on RisingShadow March 13, 2017
- Archetypal grass roots activists take on the threat of alternative facts February 20, 2017
- Existence is Elsewhen launch at Mancunicon March 30, 2016
- Published today – Existence is Elsewhen, Science Fiction anthology headlined by John Gribbin March 18, 2016
- Tej Turner interviewed on AuthorsInterviews February 22, 2016
- Elsewhen Press launches new science fiction and fantasy titles at Eastercon in Heathrow April 3, 2015
- Dysprosium – Eastercon 2015 February 25, 2015
- Gritty, sexy, surreal urban fantasy The Janus Cycle published today January 2, 2015
- The making of… The Janus Cycle by Tej Turner December 30, 2014
- Authors here, there and everywhere… December 10, 2014
- EARLY VIEW: The cover art for The Janus Cycle August 11, 2014
- The paradigm for the voice of a new generation of writers May 16, 2014
Forthcoming Events:
Recent posts:
Tej can be contacted via Elsewhen Press using tej.turner (at) elsewhen.co.uk