Yes, building a realistic setting for our historical fiction can be fun. But recreating the world of Sixth Century post-Roman Britain in The Song-Sayer's Lament had some real challenges. Normally, I'd always start with maps for the period, to get the geography right. But I have this "thing" about language and authenticity, like this... 1. … [Read more...] about Five Steps to Recreating Sixth Century Britain
Blog
Liverpool 1911 – Building the World of Suffragettes and Strikers
I've had lots of questions about building the world for The House on Hunter Street (2022). First, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Cheshire premiere for the stunning new movie, The Colour Room, telling the story of Clarice Cliff. Our thanks to Heidi Chapman for the invitation and for her hard work in organising the event as a fundraiser … [Read more...] about Liverpool 1911 – Building the World of Suffragettes and Strikers
Amado Granell Mesado, the Spanish Republican who helped liberate Paris
Real-life Amado Granell plays a big part in A Betrayal of Heroes alongside our fictional Jack Telford – and readers have been asking for more about him. Well, here’s the full story… In Alicante lives a man called Miguel Ángel Pérez Oca. He’s 77 now. A famous science teacher, writer and illustrator of books on astronomy and other subjects. Author … [Read more...] about Amado Granell Mesado, the Spanish Republican who helped liberate Paris
Foreign Language in Historical Novels – and a Mention for Esperanto
Three Ways to Use Foreign Language in Novels It was my second novel, The Assassin’s Mark. The story took my main character, journalist Jack Telford, to Spain. Towards the end of the Spanish Civil War. Jack had learned some French. Some Spanish as well. And so, to give the novel colour, I used the “normal” three ways to sensibly introduce some … [Read more...] about Foreign Language in Historical Novels – and a Mention for Esperanto
The Jack Telford Novels
Three books now in the Jack Telford series. Pretty much standalone novels, though they do follow on, one from the other. Action and intrigue at the end of the Spanish Civil War. The Assassin's Mark The first, The Assassin's Mark, sees journalist Jack sent by his editor (Sydney Elliott of Reynold's News) to Spain in September 1938. Why? To check … [Read more...] about The Jack Telford Novels