Richard W. Bown - writer, engineer

writer, engineer

I write stories about ambition, burnout and the uneasy relationship between work and family.

My debut novel, Human Software, explores what happens when IT projects go dangerously wrong. A world where data centres, the AI threat and job cuts impact those living in an English port town. As one reviewer put it, “freaked me out more than any Stephen King”. I think of it as Office Space meets Local Hero. A darker, more realistic Phoenix Project.

The follow-up, One More Island will be available in early 2027.

I’m also writing a book that helps senior engineers and managers rediscover their joy in technical work. It’s called Back on the Tools and will be available in Spring 2027.

When corporate wants you gone, who does the dirty work?

BETH WALTERS has kept Gerbach’s IT systems running through skill, stubbornness and too many sleepless nights. She works hard to support her family and community.

CHRISSIE HEGARTY is a new executive on a mission. She’s flown in from New York with a mandate, a deadline, and little patience for sentiment. She’s done this before. She knows how it ends.

They are not enemies. Not yet.