ABOUT
Welcome to my website! I am a balding man in my mid-fifties and live in a quiet Leicestershire Market town with my wife, three teenage children and dog. Like many in my age group, I grew up reading Commando and Warlord magazines which spiked my interest in all things World War two. This must have planted a seed in my brain as I joined the army as soon as I could and spent twenty four years living my childhood dream.
A rare hereditary eye condition called Sorsby Fundus Dystrophy has caused my eyesight to deteriorate to the level where I had to give up work a couple of years ago. This has given my wife plenty of time to badger me into writing the novel I had been threatening to write for over ten years.
Being a history buff with an unhealthy interest in military vehicles I am the first to point out when the wrong vehicles are used in films or TV, my family yawn as I point out, yet again, that Tiger tank drive sprockets are at the front. It is the same with books I have read so I wanted to write a book that doesn’t just pay lip service to the happenings of World War two but authentically represent what actually happened in the battles. Whilst carrying out research for Kobold I had one of those moments where your eyes narrow, you shake your head and rub your eyes in case they are playing tricks on you. I explain about it in the acknowledgements at the back of the book.
As Kobold awaits its publish on 28th February 2025 I have started to write a prequel called John Samson, set in the western desert at the beginning of the war. I hope you enjoy reading Kobold as much as I have loved writing it.
BOOK
Kobold (2024)
Harry Rawlins yearns for excitement before the war ends so volunteers to leave his relatively safe position, intercepting enemy signals in a Leicestershire stately home, to join the Nottingham Sherwood Rangers. Training on top secret swimming tanks he tragically loses his friends and crewmates just three weeks before D-Day.
A veteran tank crew, mysteriously transferred into his unit just before D-Day, is a man down and Harry is the body to fill that slot. Finding himself thrown into the vanguard of the assault on the beaches of Normandy, can Harry survive long enough to prove himself and gain the acceptance of his new crew?
As Harry’s crew battle to support the allied invasion, a traitor codenamed Kobold, is further along the coast doing his upmost to derail the allied plans. Destiny has decreed that as they battle inland their paths will become inextricably entwined. With little enthusiasm from superiors they find themselves alone in his pursuit. The chase is on.
What will get Harry first? Bad luck, the enemy or Kobold ... and just what is the connection between the German spy and his new tank commander ...
Where to buy
CONTACT
For any enquiries please contact me on [email protected]