David O'Neil is an English author with a diverse background that includes military service, management consulting, and tour guiding. O'Neil was born in London and grew up with a desire to become a pilot and sailor. As a child, his home was bombed by the Nazi Luftwaffe, an experience that has stayed with him throughout his life. After serving in the National Service and learning to fly, O'Neil joined the Colonial Police in Malawi (then Nyasaland) where he learned to sail. He spent eight years in Malawi before returning to the United Kingdom.
In the UK, O'Neil settled in southern England and worked for over two decades as a management consultant. He then became a tour guide in Scotland between 1980 and 1986. O'Neil's writing career began in 2006 when he published his first guide book. His professional debut as a novelist came in 2011 with the publication of "Fatal Meeting," the first novel in the "Donny Weston-Abby Marshall" series. O'Neil is a prolific author, having published over twenty-five novels in the "Donny Weston-Abby Marshall," "Counterestroke," "Harry Ross," and "Anton Chance" series, as well as several standalone novels.
In addition to his writing, O'Neil is also a photographer and artist. He has a keen interest in history, particularly naval and military history, which is reflected in his fiction and non-fiction books. Despite his love for writing, O'Neil did not grow up dreaming of becoming an author. As a child, he was more interested in sailing and flying than in books. It was only later in life that he discovered his passion for writing and began to pursue it as a career.