I first came across Chilean writer Isabel Allende when I read The House of the Spirits back in the late 80s. A decade later and I fell in love with Eva Luna. Then, fifteen years ago, I was captivated by her retelling of the legend in her Zorro. Allende and the Chilean Coup Her father was a first cousin to Salvador Allende, President of Chile … [Read more...] about Favourite Reads – A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Favourite Reads – Stoner by John Williams
I read Stoner a few years ago, not long after it had been "rediscovered." I've read it several times since then and it's probably one of the novels I've recommended perhaps more than any other. So I recently suggested that my oldest friend, Alastair McLachlan (I reckon we've been mates since 1954!) might give it a try. Not only did he do so, but … [Read more...] about Favourite Reads – Stoner by John Williams
Five Things You (Maybe) Didn’t Know About the Spanish Heroes of the Second World War
My tenth novel, A Betrayal of Heroes, published in July. It picks up the story of Spanish Republicans who fought against Europe’s Nazis all through the Second World War. The Spanish Civil War - yes, it's a passion Yes, guilty! I write historical fiction. But all my stories solidly rooted in fact. My aim has always been to take special periods of … [Read more...] about Five Things You (Maybe) Didn’t Know About the Spanish Heroes of the Second World War
Travel as a Writer’s Essential Research Tool
Travel may broaden the mind - but it’s also essential as part of a writer’s research. I've always had this writing rule. I try never to write about any of my major settings unless I've actually been there. But Covid made this impossible while I was working on A Betrayal of Heroes. So yes, normally we'd have found some way, Ann and myself, of … [Read more...] about Travel as a Writer’s Essential Research Tool
Building a Historical Fiction World
You should pack your bags for an epic adventure back in time through the pages of this latest Jack Telford novel, A Betrayal of Heroes, and some less frequented settings of this Second World War thriller. Here I explore the role of world building in historical fiction and take us on a journey from wartime Casablanca to Brazzaville, from the … [Read more...] about Building a Historical Fiction World