Ian has published two previous poetry books. Tears of Poignancy (2006) is a retrospective collection of 30 of his poems on the subjects of Love, Life and Essex. Some of these poems also featured in a 1997 poetry exhibition of his work at Southend Library. The Battle of Ashingdon (1016) (also published in 2006) is a genre-bridging epic narrative poem, written in the tradition of Anglo-Saxon battle storytelling poetry about the Battle of 'Assandun(e)', which took place in the Essex countryside between English and Danish forces in the year 1016. Ian has received several awards for his work, including an Originality Award for his book Islands of Essex and a Short Story Award for his story The Fungus from Outer Space. He began his writing career as a freelance journalist in 1988, at the age of 23.