Ashley Hickson-Lovence was born in London in 1991 and is a former secondary school English teacher. He is currently completing his PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia and is a Lecturer of Creative Writing at the Arts University Bournemouth. In his spare time, using his experience as a football referee himself, he formally observes semi-professional referees for the FA. His debut novel, The 392, was released in April 2019.