One of the responsibilities of a writer is marketing the novel. Because I am unknown in the published world, I need to talk to strangers - not initially about A Time for Peace, perhaps never- but to open up a conversation which allows the possibility that someone...

During WW1, Serbia lost 25% of its mobilised soldiers- that is, 57% of its male population. France lost 16.8%, British Empire 16%, Germany 15.4%, Russia 11.5% (it withdrew from the fighting in October 1917) and Italy 10.3%. Austro-Hungary, Romania Turkey, USA,...

A Time for Peace was launched one year ago on 18th October, thanks to Jan Fortune and her son, Rowan, who read an initial draft and saw the novel's potential. I'm also grateful to all those who've bought it and read it. Fingers crossed that during the coming year,...

Rather to my surprise Judy Brook, owner of Kenilworth Books told me that it's variety that makes the job interesting. I'd assumed a passion for books and the sort of hard-work/risk taking genes of those who run an independent business were the main ingredients to...

During the past twenty years, the number of local bookshops has fallen by about a  third. How then, can an independently owned bookshop, in a relatively small town, remain vibrant and relevant to the community? Warwick Books in the Market Square One reason is the...

There are some novels that haunt you- in the sense that long after you've put them down, you keep discovering something else you'd not thought of. The Cut is one such. It begins, 'The young woman runs burning along the side of the marketplace, down the High Street,...