Here's what he had to say to some of the questions I posed to him:
For those readers who don’t know,
what is the Fire and Steel anthology?
Fire and
Steel is a compilation of the first 5 books of The Soldier Chronicles
historical series. The stories; all novella's, are snap-shots of life as a
different soldier in the period of long war 1793-1815. All fiction, but very
much based on actual events.
What led you to revise and expand The
Soldier Chronicle novellas now?
I
wrote/finished Death is a Duty in April and fortune's good wheel allowed me to
spend 9 days in June, Belgium, during the bicentenary anniversary of the
Waterloo campaign. I was sat on the battlefield, high up where Napoleon's
grande battery tried to shatter Wellingtons ridge, enjoying lunch with my good
friend Adam, on the 18th - the day of the battle- and I overheard some Scotsmen
(in full military redcoat campaign gear) talk and I thought I hadn't taken that
into consideration with Adam Bannerman, the story's protagonist. So I made some
corrections on the spot. I also had a chance to revisit the parts of the battle
which I had written but not seen in the flesh. I was pleased to see I'd been
miraculously good with positioning troops in my head in relation to the
positions of the actual battle, who could see what, distances, that sort of
thing.
With that in
mind I then went back to the other four stories and re-edited them. I made
corrections, re-jigged parts, expanded dialogues, and with the series now
enhanced, I'm very pleased with the end result.Fire and Steel comes from dialogue spoken in Blood on the Snow - I thought it was quite fitting to have the anthology named this way.
You’ve shared in the past that you
gained your love of history, in part, thanks to the influence of your father. How important do you think a working knowledge
of the past is, especially as it pertains to younger generations?
I think
it's not only extremely fascinating and wonderful to see how people lived in
the past, it’s equally important that we keep their language, arts, beliefs,
literature, and their knowledge alive. I honestly think we can learn from the
past. And if we don't record or study it, then it will be lost to time. When
the Romans left Britain sometime by the 5th century, the Britons and subsequent
generations had no knowledge of how to build proper stone roads, bridges and
buildings.
How would you describe your research
& writing practices?
Research is
never-ending. I enjoy it, but writing is the best part. I sketch out a rough
idea what the story will be and let the characters take over. Sounds chaotic?
Well, I've known authors who plot everything down the smallest detail. I've
never been able to. I just let the writing flow.
What draws you to the time periods
of which you write?
The Soldier
Chronicles are standalone novella's. That is because they will form companion
pieces to a planned series of work that I'd like to try down the traditional
published route. If time, money, luck and talent have anything to do with it,
that is. The novella's do touch the Revolutionary Wars period, 1793-1801, and
the Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815, and it's the battles, uniforms, politics,
military skill and characters that truly fascinate me.
At the core of each one of your
stories is the journey of an individual soldier. To go further, each of your novella’s heroes
is forged by his experiences in war. How
do you as a writer get into the mindset of a soldier, particularly one who
lived two centuries ago?
I read
memoirs of combatants and try to understand what they went through. I've read
letters from soldiers of the American Civil Wars, the two World Wars and as
up-to-date with the conflicts of the Middle East. Uniforms, weapons and
training always change, but at heart every soldier is the same, same emotions.
Same human stories. I try to make the characters as human as I can. When
soldiers that have survived battles and skirmishes when friends haven't and
they have to carry on, it's very heart-breaking to read.
You’ve written 5 novellas to date in
the Soldiers Chronicles. Can you offer
readers any glimpses of what to expect in book 6?
The 6th book
is called Tempest and it's about the last invasion of Great Britain. 1797, a
French force managed to slip through the wooden walls of the Royal Navy and land
in Pembrokeshire, Wales. There they wanted to unite the workers, spread liberty
and revolutionary zeal and burn the city of Bristol to the ground. Can they be
stopped in time? Tempest will be out, Spring, 2016.
You live in Leicestershire, England –
a history-rich locale, especially as it pertains to another period of history
of which you’re interested…fifteenth century English Civil War known as The
Wars of the Roses. You’ve written a
story about Robin Hood which has its place in that time period. Any plans to write anything else about that
tumultuous time in England’s history?
Yes, I've
been very lucky to live in Leicestershire. Not only did I move here in time for
Richard III to be discovered, but the correct site of the Battle of Bosworth
was found. The county also saw action from the later English Civil Wars between
King Charles and Parliament. And just across the border the Robin Hood legend
stretches from Nottinghamshire to Derbyshire. The Midlands are rich in history.
I love it! I've written about all of them, but when they'll see the light of
day, I'm not sure. I will say that my Robin Hood tale, The Wolfshead, has been revisited
in the Summer as the material on my tumblr blog and wattpad gets very high
views and comments. So perhaps, watch this space...
As a whole, Americans have sometimes
been accused of lacking a curiosity for or about anything historical. What can you share with American readers that
might entice them to turn to the historical fiction genre as a potential source
of reading material?
I think it
boils down to education. Not only from school teachers, but from parents. It's
about educating and there's a fabulous site called www. gratefulamericanfoundation.com for
adults and children. Someone wrote on there that ''reading history is not
boring, it can enrich your life, open your eyes, improve skills and engage''. I
agree. There are some brilliant works by authors who you are missing out on.
For me it's like music; that feeling when you discover a new song or band and
go ''I wish I had discovered you earlier in my life''. Yes, that happens to me
a lot. Like I thought late 50's/60's music was terrible, then I listened to
Buddy Holly, the Beatles, the Stones, Pink Floyd and suddenly there was all
this great music I could have never known.
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For any lover of well-researched and written historical fiction or for anyone interested in learning more about the period of which David writes, I highly recommend the FIRE AND STEEL ANTHOLOGY. I promise, it would be worth your time.
I want to thank David for taking the time to share his thoughts and for continuing to write worthy historical fiction. I know I speak for many when I wish him the best in all his future writing endeavors!
