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