I joined the Royal Hong Kong Police in July 1991 and from the word ‘go’ I was expected to write in detail and receive merciless criticism by the training staff of Police Training School. Upon arrival at my first station, survival as a Police Inspector and especially a Detective Inspector was achieved by writing accurate court papers and Police reports in order to brief both senior cops and Government lawyers on what each case consisted of. Later, while working in Regional Headquarters, I would be expected to write detailed intelligence reports on problem areas and make recommendations on policing methods. These reports would be proofread hundreds of times before being placed in front of a senior officer such as the Assistant Commissioner. So it was highly desirable to write accurately and legibly to avoid the many ‘re-writes’. Later, once I decided to write my first book Fishing in Hong Kong in 2015, I placed a copy in front of a South China Morning Post editor and asked him for an opinion. Even though I supplied several pints of Peroni lager, I was quickly told to stop writing like a cop and get more passionate and creative. So five drafts later plus a whole load of artistic input from my wife Lizzie, we had a version that was good enough to put in front of a prospective publisher and Blacksmith Books took up the role.