I was born in Scotland in 1977 and always enjoyed studying history – well, the interesting bits, not so much what they taught us in school. My first book in the Forest Lord series, Wolf’s Head, was set in medieval England and it’s a fast-paced, violent retelling of the Robin Hood legends.I’ve since sold over 130,000 books in the past few years. As a working class man from a little village in Scotland, I’m honestly amazed at how many people enjoy my writing.
At the time I read this book I was a fan of old sci-fi and some historical fiction. The Magus was recommended to me and, honestly, I didn’t think I’d like it. It wasn’t ‘my genre’. Then I started reading it and knew I was right – it was quite boring. But I read on, and it really started to suck me in. A story about a young teacher being manipulated on an isolated Greek island by an older gentleman and a colourful cast of strange characters, the writing is just magical and evocative and the story is like nothing I’ve read before or since.
When the end came, I was genuinely bereft – I didn’t want it to end the way it did, and I was quite upset by it. These were emotions I had never felt before when reading a book and it shocked me!
I read it again ten years later and loved it in a completely new way. It’s such a rich, powerful book that has a lot to teach us about how to live. And the ending? I realised it was the perfect, indeed ONLY way it could have finished, and it inspired me to let my own readers use their imaginations to fill in the blanks at times, particularly with my novel Lucia.
The Magus is the story of Nicholas Urfe, a young Englishman who accepts a teaching assignment on a remote Greek island. There his friendship with a local millionaire evolves into a deadly game, one in which reality and fantasy are deliberately manipulated, and Nicholas must fight for his sanity and his very survival.
When this came out I was only just discovering historical fiction. I was in my very early twenties and was already quite familiar with the legend of King Arthur but this truly brought it to life in a realistic, yet immersive and exciting way.
I was completely drawn into this world of heroes, legends, and magic and amazed that ‘real’ people could be so exciting without the author taking it into the realms of fantasy (wizards shooting fireballs from their fingers or turning people into toads or whatever).
The Winter King, and the other two books in the series, are really what inspired me to write both of my own series. First of all, when I decided I wanted to try and write a book, I knew I wanted to do something similar to The Winter King, in a similar bygone age, with a backdrop of British forests and hills, so when I saw a house called ‘Sherwood’ I knew I should try and retell the story of Robin Hood the way Cornwell had done with Arthur’s tale. Then, for my current Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles, I took a similar period in the Dark Ages as The Winter King but came at it from a slightly different angle. My druid is no Merlin, he’s a young, massive warrior, but he is rooted in reality, with no fireballs or teleportation spells, just like Cornwell’s character.
I think if you asked a hundred historical fiction authors to name their favourite books The Winter King would feature on many of those lists. And the Audible version is superb too!
Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade. As he struggles to unite Britain and hold back the Saxon enemy, Arthur is embroiled in a doomed romance with beautiful Guinevere.
This might be a surprising choice for anyone who’s read my books, and it was a HUGE surprise to me too! I bought this on Audible because it was in a sale, and it lay untouched in my account for months until, at last, with nothing left to listen to, I gave this a try.
I was amazed to find I absolutely loved it! Yes, it’s rather far-fetched in places, but I found myself really enjoying the tale and invested in the characters who were interesting and likeable (unlike the horrors who populate Wuthering Heights which I tried after this). Some books stay with you and you’re able to look back months or even years later and vividly remember where you were when you were reading (or listening to) a particular section and Jane Eyre is one of those books for me.
I truly loved it and decided to explore more books in a similar style. That led me to Daphne Du Maurier’s work (the Audible versions of Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, and Hungry Hill being huge favourites of mine) and, eventually, I decided I should try writing a standalone novel about a strong woman.
That led to Lucia, a book nothing like any of my other work but perhaps the one I’m most proud of. It felt like some outside influence was guiding me to write the novel and, given the fact it was so heavily influenced by my listening on Audible, it was amazing when Audible bought the rights to Lucia from me. It all stemmed from Jane Eyre, a fantastic book everyone should read, even bluff Scotsmen!
Introduction and Notes by Dr Sally Minogue, Canterbury Christ Church University College.
Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most perennially popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage.
She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order. All of which circumscribe her life and position when she becomes governess to the daughter of the mysterious, sardonic and attractive Mr Rochester.
Another book that inspires a strong memory of where I was when I read it. This time I was on a winter holiday in Scotland with my family and certain scenes are burned into my mind, so expertly were they written. This novel has a superb hero, great setting in Roman Britain, and the legendary warrior-queen, Boudicca. What more could you ask for? Hero of Rome is full of action and adventure and kicks off an excellent series that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
The Roman grip on Britain is weakening. Emperor Nero has turned his face away from this far-flung outpost. The Druids are on the rise, spreading seeds of rebellion among the British tribes. Roman cruelty and exploitation has angered their British subjects. The warrior queen Boudicca will lead the tribes to war. Standing against the rising tide of Boudicca's rebellion is Roman Tribune, Gaius Valerius Verrens, Commander of the veteran legions at Colonia. Valerius leads the veterans in a last stand against the unstoppable horde of Boudicca's rebel army. Step by step, the bloodied survivors are forced back into the Temple…
A collection of interlinked short stories about the volcanic destruction of Pompeii which works better than I thought it would. A lot better, as this is one of the most moving books I’ve ever read, bringing me to tears in places. Six authors, all looking at the doom of quite different characters, from gladiators to senators to a pregnant woman and more, you expect the whole thing to be utterly depressing but, somehow, it isn’t. I must admit I read this when I was in a very fragile state of mind having just suffered a terrible tragedy of my own, so it’s possible that affected my reading of A Day of Fire and how I responded to it, but I know it was extremely well written and I was so glad to have read it. I think you should too.
Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain's wrath . . . and these are their stories: A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii's flourishing streets. An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire. An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished. A crippled senator welcomes death, until…
Set in northern Britain in AD430. This explores the rich folklore and culture of post-Roman Britain, where blood-sacrifice, superstition, and warfare were as much a part of everyday life as love, laughter, and song. In the aftermath of a surprise attack Dun Buic lies in smoking ruins and many innocent villagers are dead. As the survivors try to make sense of the night’s events the giant warrior-druid, Bellicus, is tasked with hunting down the raiders and thwarting their dark purpose.
Curiosity is certain she saw fairies at the bottom of the garden. Little does she know . . . they saw her first.
Emotionally abandoned by her mother and infatuated by a figurine of a fairy ballerina she discovers in an old toy shop, eight-year-old Curiosity Portland steals the figurine,…
From the author of Washington’s Spies, the thrilling story of two rival secret agents — one Confederate, the other Union — sent to Britain during the Civil War.
The South’s James Bulloch, charming and devious, was ordered to acquire a clandestine fleet intended to break Lincoln’s blockade, sink Northern…
