It's a Hatrick and a soldier called Patrick

I am pleased to say that now all three of my books in the Pen and Sword Your Towns and Cities in the Great War series have been published. After 18 months of research, travelling, talking to soldiers' relatives, learning so much about the Great War and the huge sacrifices that were made has been a truly humbling and life changing experience.

I don't think anyone who has read about the Great War comes out of it the same person. I've spoken before both on the radio and in newspaper interviews that one soldier in particular touched my heart. I don't know why, he's not a relative; he's one of hundreds I read about and wrote about, one of millions worldwide who fought and died, but even when I was feeling despondent, thinking I was never going to complete the books on time, I'd think of him, Patrick Kilcoyne, and be spurred on. I don't think that it's a coincidence that a few months after the book Patrick featured in Newport in the Great War was published, I had a message via the publisher saying they'd received a message from one of Patick's relatives saying how delighted they were that Patrick's story was included in the book.

That is what it was all about for me; getting the soldiers and the women and men's stories, who stayed behind to help the war effort out there. I know when I started my research I had no idea of the truly heroic and selfless efforts communities went to to get through the war. It was amazing and more than deserved highlighting. I hope whether people read my books have relatives mentioned in them or not that they enjoy reading about what happened in these communities and that it touches them in some way too.

                           Newport  .................. Ludlow ...................Kidderminster

Moving on

It's been a while since I blogged here so it's nice to have the opportunity to sit down and have a chat. I've been busy with researching the next book I'm working on for Pen and Sword - Birmingham in WW2 - which has involved travelling by train to Birmingham archives and library and poring over many different artifacts and old record books, etc.

While I've been doing this I've also been trying to organise and undertake book launches and book signings for the Ludlow in the Great War book that came out a couple of months ago and the Kidderminster in the Great War book which is due to be published imminently!  Part of these preparations involved going on local radio (live - eek!).

It's certainly been a fantastic experience writing three books in 18 months for Pen & Sword but it's also been a lot of hard work and co-ordination. While I am moving on from the three books I am trying to write the Birmingham book which is a bigger book than the other three by some 10,000 words or so plus Birmingham is a much bigger area to cover. Thank goodness for the Internet, social media, newspapers and the radio! If it wasn't for them research would be much more laborious and time consuming. As much as I love discovering new places and researching - I like to get it done as thoroughly and quickly as possible so I can get down to the business of writing.

If you are on the look out for a speaker or a workshop on the various aspects of putting a historical non-fiction book together or the writing process, or you would like me to visit your group to talk about WW1 and the home front, do get in touch.

But for now, back to the research.

Newport in the Great War

Hello and welcome to my author page. I am happy to say that the first of my three books written about World War 1 has now been published. Newport in the Great War is published by Pen & Sword books and us available via them or Amazon.

www.pen-and-sword.co.uk     www.amazon.co.uk