I was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1950. I moved to Nottingham and its University where I gained a degree in French Studies and Education. Teaching as Head of Modern Languages followed in tandem with playing bass guitar and keyboards with an array of bands. A Francophile, I love Provence, where "And they danced under the bridge", my first novel, is set in medieval times when the Plague afflicted Avignon. I write, with compassion and insight, a story of young Marius who led the struggle against this scourge.
Some of my five subsequent books are historical fiction but I have also delved into the otherworld of historical fantasy.
All my work is published by Next Chapter. The links will take you straight to the Amazon marketing platform and, also, to universal bookshops.
Next Chapter publish me in normal and large print; paperback and hardback; translation into Portuguese; Audiobook.
www.ancestralpen.co.uk
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all my Next Chapter books are available in KINDLE format
FIST OF THE FAITH
Born to a rich family, young Albornoz's father hopes he would pursue a military career. But, to his disappointment, the boy displays more interest in matters of the Church, passionately seeking an understanding of what is right and wrong.
Meanwhile, fisherman Edmond and his wife eke out a humble existence - until a surprising opportunity presents itself.
Soon, their lives intertwine with unexpected consequences.
LINKS: https://mybook.to/fistofthefaith
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fist-Faith-Tale-medieval-Avignon
www.ancestralpen.co.uk
AND THEY DANCED UNDER THE BRIDGE
"And they danced under the bridge" is my first novel. I took my family on holiday to Avignon and the ruined bridge that I'd sung about as a schoolboy since my French master insisted on its rendition to conclude every lesson, enchanted me. The perfectly walled medieval town provided me with a source of captive afflicted characters for the book.
It is 1348 and a deadly plague has seized the walled town of Avignon., in southern France. Mortality is swift and the city quickly closes to the outside world.
Young Marius leads the struggle to combat the infection, but a liaison with the mysterious Alice distracts his efforts. How can he reconcile passion with a duty to his wife and responsibility to the townsfolk?
Meanwhile, Pope Clement harbours a burning desire for vengeance on the boy's father. But what has driven the Pontiff to such unfitting thoughts, and how will he tame his own lust for Alice?
LINKS: https://mybook.to/underbrifge
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/BO9H5BS583
www.ancestralpen.co.uk
"BAUDET - walls still standing"
BAUDET - walls still standing
"BAUDET - WALLS STILL STANDING"
Baudet's destiny is foreshadowed by a mysterious old woman in black, who predicts he will accomplish great things in his life.
Leaving his village, Vordan, in 1673, he plans to forge a new life in Marseilles. Finding lodging in a tavern he makes friends with Father Philippe of a church in the poor quarter of Panier. Unwittingly, he is drawn to the Abbey Saint Victor across the harbour, where his future is to be with the Benedictine Order of monks.
Temptations both criminal and sexual challenge Baudet along his path, and he soon finds himself clashing with the obnoxious and delinquent Prior Delbert. Can his unpromising beginning lead him to an extraordinary destiny?
LINKS: https://books2read.com/3kLA2R
"THE MORGENS' LAIR"
"THE MORGENS' LAIR" is my first historical fantasy novel. I very much enjoyed writing it with the freedom that the imaginary world offered although starting in the present day.
Cornwall, 2018. David Johnson has just finished university. He decides to apply for a job and moves to Rennes, in Brittany, France, with his partner, Madeleine. Fascinated by and drawn into the local folklore and mythology, his life soon takes a dramatic turn.
Audierne, 940. In a small Brittany fishing port, a young fisherman, Felis, is determined to enable his recently deceased mother's ascent to heaven. He sits against a menhir - a standing stone - and makes a connection with something beyond our time and place.
The past and the present meet in the ancient sunken city of Ys, off the Brittany coast. Can young Felis and David destroy the king's evil daughter, Dahut, and expose the deviant Father Felix...and who exactly is the mysterious Maiden?
A riveting historical fantasy adventure. My "Morgens' Lair" will transport you through the centuries, to an era and place very different from ours today.
LINKS: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/4824170451/ref
https://books2read.com/u/4X0Wal
AncestralPen
AN AMALGAM OF MINDS
'AN AMALGAM OF MINDS" is my first contemporary novel and it was an enjoyable change from my previous historical books.
Burdened by past relationships, Michael is thrust into the world of the bailiff, where he discovers a new sense of purpose. When an assault lands him in court, his fate intertwines with that of Ella Bradbury, a rising solicitor who takes on his case.
What begins as a professional encounter leads to an emotional connection neither of them saw coming. Amid careers and broken hearts, other characters - Laura, the supermarket manager seeking validation and James, a former drug runner trying to escape his past - each grapple with their own desires and choices.
As their lives collide with Michael and Ella's, they all realise that love and loyalty are often found in the unlikeliest of places.
A heartfelt story of relationships and personal growth, my "AMALGAM OF MINDS" explores how liaisons born out of chaos can turn into something lasting and true.
LINKS: https://books2read.com/u/bQ7YJu
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amalgam
ANCESTRALPEN.CO.UK
"THE TAPESTRY OF TIME"
Next Chapter have published three of my books in one volume: Fist of the Faith; Baudet; The Guise of the Queen. A good chance to buy all three at a favourable price!
LINK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tapestry-Time-Collection
ANCESTRALPEN.CO.UK
"THE GUISE OF THE QUEEN."
A tale of Huguenot persecution from Paris to La Rochelle.
Paris, 1572. Catherine de Medicis, the Queen Mother, urges her feckless son, King Charles, to act against the hated Huguenots. he instructs her Duke de Guise to carry out a bloody massacre on Saint Bartholomew's Day.
Hundreds die and fear spreads throughout the kingdom. Many Parisians flee the capital, facing an uncertain future. But Catherine is not satisfied: she yearns to take La Rochelle, a prosperous port and the last Huguenot stronghold.
The degenerate Satanist, Judge Boivin, rules over the port and is not one to surrender easily but the odds are stacked against him. Soon, their forces will clash in a bloody war and the future of La Rochelle - and the Huguenots - will be decided once and for all.
LINKS: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp
https://books2read.com/u/mOlxzi
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