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Readers Club
If you enjoy my books, there’s every chance you may enjoy the books I enjoy reading, and that I may enjoy the books you read. So here’s where we can share our favourites and explain what makes them special.
Readers Club
If you enjoy my books, there’s every chance you may enjoy the books I enjoy reading, and that I may enjoy the books you read. So here’s where we can share our favourites and explain what makes them special.
What connects Alexander Dumas, Bob Geldof, and Rock Hudson?
I connect them. In late 1986 I spent three months managing the refurbishment of the cooling tower on the Port Sudan Oil Refinery. I had a team of five Irishmen, two Scotsmen, and dozens of Sudanese and Nigerians. Surrounding the refinery millions of people were...
Inspiration for Writing Style
The inspiration for my style of historical fiction writing comes from my reading. I read several Dennis Wheatley books as a teenager. Wheatley is probably best known for his occult novels like The Devil Rides Out. However the ones that most influenced me are The...
On Writing
Sticking with Stephen King. On Writing is autobiographical and also packed with advice on the craft of writing. I loved it. I just opened it and flicked through it again. I came across this: “Not every book has to be loaded with symbolism, irony, or musical language...
Stephen King – Christine
Horror isn’t my favourite genre, but you won’t need reminding what a genius Stephen King is. I still have nightmares about that possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury car, Christine. How many books have been written about haunted houses? I have no idea, but I only know one...
Where I discovered Sir Anthony Standen
I can’t ignore the book that has had such an important influence on my recent life. It’s another biography, sorry about that. Sir Francis Drake by George Malcolm Thomson. It’s certainly a fast paced, fact packed book. It was this passage that changed my life. “The...
Revelation
Veering away from biography, C.J. Sansom is a brilliant writer of historical fiction. My wife introduced me to his books. In my opinion Revelation is his finest. It’s the fourth book in the Matthew Shardlake Mysteries. Matthew is a barrister during Henry VIII’s reign....
Senlac Book One
To write a book set around the events of 1066, would seem prone to the ultimate spoiler alert. I can’t say that I kept turning the page to discover who won. The triumph of this book is instead to immerse us in the politics and the everyday life of the time. We get...
The Wicked Wit Of Queen Elizabeth II
I haven’t posted for a few days. I thought perhaps a review for Readers Club of The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II, compiled by Karen Dolby would be appropriate. We have been so thankful for her tireless service, rightly so. She also had a wonderful sense of humour....
One Hundred Days
One Hundred Days is Admiral Sir John (Sandy) Woodward’s account of the Falkland’s War, written with Patrick Robinson. Woodward was commander of the task force which recaptured the Falkland Islands in 1982 following an Argentinian invasion. Patrick Robinson is an...