Welcome!
Well here it is! My brand new blog is set upon the world. Having had a magazine article published, I'm currently writing my first novel. I had so many ideas buzzing around that inspiration was readily available and it took me quite a while to choose a subject. In the end my lifelong love of the sea and boats won through, together with many moving personal accounts from veterans, so I decided that I would tackle a story involving the Royal Naval Patrol Service in World War Two. This book will be the first in a series following the main character and his crew as they try to win a war while staying alive and providing for their lives after the war is over.
Those brave souls who took steam trawlers and drifters to war against the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe are under represented both in fiction and in the factual record. A couple of books stand out however: Coastal Convoys 1939-1945: The Indestructible Highway, by Nick Hewitt and Churchill's Pirates: The Royal Naval Patrol Service in World War II, by Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell, were both invaluable reading for me. I wanted to give a flavour of the bravery of these men, their stoic acceptance of their wide range of new roles, their 'unconventional' approach to naval discipline and their incredible achievement in keeping supplies flowing up the east coast of Britain in those dark days. I fictionalised one crew as a representative of them all, to create an adventure which I hope will strike a chord with readers.
I'm nearing the end of my first draft so I'll post any further news as it arises.
Keep on reading!
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