More About the Author
Well, this is my opportunity to bore everyone by talking about me and why I write aviation stories. WWII aviation history is a bit of a passion. I have been interested in aviation since I was nine, when I had my first trip in an aircraft. It was a fascinating experience and in due course I joined the Air Training Corps. At seventeen, I was lucky enough to be awarded a Flying Scholarship, and so ended up in the curious position of being qualified to fly an aircraft before I could even drive a car. (Liz, my wife, thinks that the roads of Britain would have been safer if it had stayed that way...)
I kept up the flying, and over the years I have managed to get my hands on a number of interesting types; Tiger Moth, Chipmunk, Harvard, SA Bulldog, Citabria, Breezy - plus a dozen or so other types of club machine. I would never describe myself as an aviator (that takes knowledge and skill...) I would describe myself as a flyer - happy to just get airborne when I can and throw a few aeros in those machines that can survive the odd mistake in handling.
When I first got the bug to write novels, I was naturally drawn to the subject of WWII aviation. I have known a number of people over the years who have been involved in aviation, from ex-RAF aircrew of the 1930s onwards and from other branches; aviation medicine, armament etc. and so I have been able to hear a great many experiences at first hand. And I believe that being a pilot enabled me to gain an additional understanding of those experiences. So, as well as wanting to write a good story I have also been obsessed by getting the historical and technical detail correct. I am also drawn to the middle period of the war, when almost all of the less competent individuals had either been killed or replaced, the outcome of the air war was still up for grabs; and both sides now exercised a deadly professionalism.
I also have to confess to being an admirer of Admiral Halsey, who was famed for stating:
"There are no great men, there are only great challenges the ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet."
That applies to countless men and women who served in the forces in WWII and it has prompted me to write stories that feature credible characters, realistic events, and keep accurate history and technology to the fore.
Some people write Whodunits, and some people write Whydunits; I write Howdunits.
