I recently picked up some neat compliments about my “battle” scenes and was asked whether I’d ever seen action personally. The answer was a quick “no”, though I do spend a lot of time reading first-hand accounts of frontline experiences. And then I remembered that there had been one occasion when I came pretty close to it, and in strange … [Read more...] about A Serious Business
Blog
Wrexham’s Great Art Treasures Exhibition, 1876
The year had an interesting beginning - the Football Association of Wales established at the town's Wynnstay Hotel. And then there were the visits by George Pinder's Continental Circus and a memorable Horticultural Show, the first to be held in town for almost ten years. But in July 1876, Wrexham saw the most memorable event of the entire … [Read more...] about Wrexham’s Great Art Treasures Exhibition, 1876
Alfred Neobard Palmer
I remember plainly how I first stumbled across Alfred Neobard Palmer. I was writing the final part of my Yale Trilogy and was searching for significant events which might have taken place in Wrexham during 1715. This search led me to a book with the lengthy title, A History of the Older NonConformity of Wrexham and its Neighbourhood, being the … [Read more...] about Alfred Neobard Palmer
Publishing Companies in Wales
I often hear complaints about the publishing industry being very London-centric, so here are some options for writers in Wales to look for deals with publishers who might be a bit more sympathetic - publishing companies in Wales itself. But beware, the list may not be entirely up-to-date. And most of this I've collated from other sites! … [Read more...] about Publishing Companies in Wales
The Oath of Kufra
The background to A Betrayal of Heroes centres on the story of the Spanish Republican fighters who, despite Franco's victory in their civil war, carried on the battle against fascism and the Nazis. But that story begins with one of the greatest yet least-known episodes of the Second World War. Let's go back to the Allied defeat in the 1940 … [Read more...] about The Oath of Kufra