I was born and raised in Middle Earth, quite literally!
The South Island of New Zealand is Middle Earth, and not just because most of "The Hobbit" was filmed there. On older maps, pre 20th century, the South Island was known as "The Middle Island".

Just off the coast of Canterbury, well about 470 miles away, there is an Island called the Antipodes, and it is called that because it is the closed land to where you would end up if you bored a hole through the centre of the Earth from Greenwich in London.

Therefore, New Zealand is opposite Spain and the Bay of Biscay.

So, not only was I born in Middle earth I am truely a Man From Down Under. Now, nothing against the Australians, after all they make great hats (Akubras), but Australia ends up in the mid Atlantic Ocean, nearer to the Caribbean than Europe, so they really can't claim to be Down Under in terms of Europe, America maybe, but not in reference to Britain.

New Zealanders can rightly claim to be both from "Down Under" and "Antipodeans". Sorry mate.

I was christened Dennis Alexander Knox and have been known most of my life as Dennis, but when I wrote "We Are: I Am - Origins" I took the pen name Alexander Knox because I thought it sounded better, and I didn't much like Dennis anyway.

When I was growing up in Christchurch, New Zealand there was a very popular T.V. show and comic book called "Dennis The Menace" which came out a year before I was born (I don't know if that influenced my parents choice of name, but since we didn't have T.V. until many years later, I doubt it).

When the show became popular, my problem was, as a young boy, complete with unruly blond hair, whenever I was introduced to anyone I always got "Oh, you're Dennis the Menace then!  Ha Ha ha!" Like I had never heard that joke before. Aaarrgggghhh!

Not only that, Dennis means "Lover of wine", derived from the name of the Greek god of wine 'Dionysius'.
I do like wine, but its not really a name to be foundational to your character. (Be careful what you name your children, you are influencing their whole lives, for better or for worse).

Alexander though! Again from the Greek 'Alexandros', it means; Defender, Warrior, Defender of men, Helper of Mankind, Yeah! I can go with that!

Now, Knox is derived from the Gaelic "cnoc" meaning hillock or hump. Our ancestry is through the Knox's of Ballymena in Northern Ireland, who originally came from the Scottish Highlands near Loch Lomond.
The Knox's are a sept or sub clan of the MacFarlanes, and the picture above is me in my kilt, the MacFarlane dress tartan.

I was brought up British, in the British Commonwealth, under British law and the Judeao Christian ethic. I came to know Yeshuah (otherwise known as Jesus) as my Lord and Saviour when I was young man. This shaped my love of my heritage and gave rise to the hopes and dreams I outline below.

I have circumnavigated the sun seventy times and am looking forward to fifty more, and still be inline skating and snowboarding. If Yeshuah does not come back before that, and either way is OK by me, I will have time to fulfil my dreams.
I would love your help if you are so inclined.

Alexander Knox