Sean Thomas (writer)
Sean Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Author, journalist |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Known for | Writing under pen names Tom Knox, A. J. Molloy, S. K. Tremayne |
Sean Thomas (born 1963) is a British author and journalist. He studied at University College London and has written for publications such as The Times, the Daily Mail, The Spectator, and The Guardian, with a focus on subjects including travel, politics, and the arts. His father was the writer and translator D. M. Thomas (who passed away in 2023).
In his career as a novelist, Thomas uses several pen names: writing archaeological and religious thrillers as Tom Knox; publishing erotic fiction under the name A. J. Molloy; and more recently producing psychological thrillers as S. K. Tremayne.
Writing career
Thomas’s debut thriller as Tom Knox, The Genesis Secret, is set around the Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, which he visited in 2006. The story investigates the beginnings of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, emphasizing themes of sacrifice. Known for its vivid imagery, the book became an international bestseller and was translated into 21 languages. However, the German Archaeology Institute criticized it for misrepresenting scientific research related to the site.
His second novel under the Tom Knox pseudonym, The Marks of Cain (2010), explores the history of the Cagot people in the Basque region and Germany’s colonial past in Namibia. This title also achieved international bestseller status, with its German ebook edition, titled Cagot, being notable for its interactive content.
The third Tom Knox book, published in 2011/2012 as Bible of the Dead in the UK and The Lost Goddess in the US, centers on the Khmer Rouge regime while incorporating elements such as French cave art and contemporary Chinese Communism. Thomas drew inspiration from attending the 2009 UN trial of Khmer Rouge official Kang Kek Iew for this novel.
Under the name S. K. Tremayne, Thomas released The Ice Twins in 2015—a psychological thriller about a London couple who move to Scotland after losing one of their identical twin daughters. The novel became a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller and gained considerable international acclaim, appearing on bestseller lists in countries like Germany and the Netherlands. It has been translated into over 30 languages and reached number one on the UK paperback fiction charts in September 2015.
His subsequent psychological thriller as Tremayne, The Fire Child (2017), achieved top ten bestseller status in Germany under its German title Stiefkind. In 2019, The Ice Twins was honored with a Nielsen Silver Award for surpassing 250,000 sales in the UK.
Thomas’s novel Kissing England received the Literary Review's "Bad Sex" award in 2000 due to its notably poor depiction of sexual scenes despite being otherwise well-regarded.
His 2007 memoir, Millions Of Women Are Waiting To Meet You, which delves into his romantic experiences, was selected as a "book of the week" by The Guardian.
Personal life
Thomas lives in Camden Town, North London, and is a father of two.
In 1987, he was acquitted of rape charges at the Old Bailey. He has openly shared his battles with substance abuse, including heroin addiction. In 2003, he authored an article for The Spectator addressing his struggles with internet pornography addiction and its detrimental effects on his health. Psychiatrist Norman Doidge references this piece in his book The Brain That Changes Itself as a significant example of porn addiction testimony.
Sean Thomas
- Absent Fathers (1996)
- Kissing England (2000)
- The Cheek Perforation Dance (2002)
- Millions of Women are Waiting to Meet You (2006)
Under the pseudonym Tom Knox
- The Genesis Secret (2009)
- The Marks of Cain (2010)
- Bible of the Dead (2011, UK) / The Lost Goddess (2012, US)
- The Babylon Rite (2012, UK; 2013, US)
- The Deceit (2013)
As A. J. Molloy
- The Story of X (2012)
Writing as S. K. Tremayne
- The Ice Twins (2015)
- The Fire Child (2016)
- Just Before I Died (2018)
- The Assistant (2019)
- The Drowning Hour (2022)
External links
- 1963 births
- Living people
- Alumni of University College London
- Daily Mail journalists
- English male novelists
- Göbekli Tepe
- People acquitted of rape
- The Guardian journalists
- The Spectator people
- The Times journalists
- 20th-century English novelists
- 20th-century pseudonymous writers
- 21st-century English novelists
- 21st-century pseudonymous writers
- Writers from Devon