Alec Sillifant

Sif? Who's Sif?

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Good question and the simple answer is, it's me...it's a nickname. A very old nickname, used only by a few nowadays.

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There's no arguing that with a surname like 'Sillifant', nicknames are bound to come thick and fast as the wits of those around you gather speed. At first 'Silly Elephant' was all the rage but as the enquiring minds became more...aware, so the names began to change, until one playground wag decided my surname was very similar to a disease. A social disease, to put it politely. So I became 'Syphilis', which was syncopated to 'Sif', to save time throwing insults at me. However, as a tag can lose its power by owning it, I embraced my moniker and took on the infection...not sure that's the best way of expressing it, considering, but you know what I mean.

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Then I got a motorbike. Which was no surprise as I come from a long line of bikers; Dad, both Granddads, Great Granddad...actually he may have had a horse but that's close enough. I've been riding bikes for years, right from when I was about six or something and to be honest you'd think I'd be better at it than I am. I think most of my knee and elbow bio-tissue has been replaced with Tarmac over the years.  Anyway, back to the link with writing. So I spent a good few years knocking about with my mates on bikes, mid 1980s to early 1990s, and we had some adventures and fun; the usual youthful stuff but with added motorbikes. Sometime in the 90s (mid to late, I could find out but let's keep this moving while I'm on a roll) I decided it would be a laugh to write down some of these stories and maybe get them published for the whole world to enjoy (yeah, I've always had an ego problem). So I did some writing, changed some names and read them back. Far too boring, so I took the grain of a true story and inflated it into Godzilla proportions with a gaseous mix of lies and exaggeration...and it worked.

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The first story from 'The Legend That Is Mad Dog Jackson' appeared in AWoL sometime between '96-'98 and I was chuffed to bits. Firstly because it was my first time published and secondly...well, if you can find a copy of the original magazine you'll understand why.

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The bug had bitten and I was off (much like my motorbike riding style) writing 'Mad Dog' tales to add to the legend. Many appeared in 'AWoL' and some in 'Back Street Heroes', each time I was chuffed as the first because each time they were adorned with brilliant artwork...which I had blown up into posters. Have I mentioned my ego problem? There's a link to 'Gallery' if you'd like to see some of the artwork that was created to go with my words, which at least trebled their value.

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Branching out from 'Mad Dog', I decided to try my hand at some other, less 'real', characters  and 'Chopperman' and 'The Apocalypse Brothers'  were birthed, both of which appeared in 'Back Street Heroes' and yet again I was chuffed each time to the point of explosion. Then...you know what, I'm not sure what the 'then' was but it all stopped. I know it was my fault, lack of commitment or easily distracted, maybe? Whatever happened, it happened.

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Fast forward a couple of decades and the birth of the Amazon self-publishing thing. I'd always wanted the 'Mad Dog' stories slammed together in book format, for my own amusement (and ego) if nothing else but self-publishing was not cheap. Enter, 'print on demand' and my opportunity to get the job done, which, with a help of a good mate who'd already done this new-fangled 'be your own publisher' thing, I did.

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So now you're pretty up to speed as to what 'What Sif Wrote' is all about. There's a link to the totally reasonably priced, 'The Legend That Is Mad Dog Jackson - As told to Sif', below and further links to 'Chopperman', 'The Apocalypse Brothers' and 'Stripped Sprockets' (a collection of bike related fiction) though don't expect too much from the last three, as those pages are still under construction.

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