I blame the Monocled Mutineer for my love of impostors. The story of Percy Toplis first caught my attention when it became the basis for the TV series of the same name that was shown in the 1980s. I still remember watching it and being fascinated by the idea of someone taking advantage of the […]
Interview with historian Nick Britten
If you have followed me for a while you will most likely already know that I am a big fan of Nick Britten’s brilliant Facebook page UNDER EVERY LEAF. The page focuses on the men and events of the British Empire between 1860-1913 and it has often been a source of inspiration for the Jack […]
Interview with military historian Ricky Philips
In the first of what I plan to be a series of interviews, I have been lucky enough to interview the military historian, Ricky Philips, about his latest project, a history of the invasion of the Falkland Islands titled THE FIRST CASUALTY. The project interested me as soon as I heard of it. I was […]
Commute Writing
Let’s face it; the daily commute is a grind. You can use it to read, listen to music, watch a film or simply zone out and stare into space. You can, if you are so inclined, use it to do all that work you can’t get done in the office. All are very valid things […]
Scarlet Imposters
With the third Jack Lark adventure, The Devil’s Assassin, out this week, I wanted to share something about the inspiration behind Jack, a soldier who climbs the ranks by impersonating his superiors. The cheeky devil… The idea of an imposter is not perhaps as lacking in creditability as some would assume. I am not the first […]