My first book, published in January 2017 by ROSIE BOOKS, is called 'CAPTURED BY CROMWELL IN CALEDONIA…How my Scottish ancestor's capture by the English, and forced labour, established the Fergusons in Norfolk.'
An 1820 drawing of Hilgay bridge in Norfolk, acquired by my grandfather, was used for the cover. This picture has been in the Ferguson family for over a century.
The book includes over 200 photographs and drawings, most of which are from my own personal collection. A few of these are displayed in the 'GALLERY' section.
This is the cover from the design team at ROSIE BOOKS. The aim is to capture the atmosphere of the Fens and Norfolk, the main setting for the book.
Whenever I look at this old picture, I wonder where the man and the woman walking across Hilgay bridge have been, where they are going, and what is in their knapsack.
This is a dramatized account of the author's link to his ancestor, who was captured by Oliver Cromwell during the Scottish campaign of the Civil War, and then forced to work on Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden's Fen drainage scheme.
The story continues as the prisoner from 'Caledonia', the Roman name for Scotland, settles in the eastern county of Norfolk and the Scottish name of Ferguson first appears in mid seventeenth century Fenland parish records.
My second book, published in January 2019, is ‘THE INCREDIBLE MILTONS OF SUSSEX-A Tale of the Twentieth Century’.
This is the cover, a painting by Sussex artist, Rosemary Pavey:
Experience the momentous events of the twentieth century in the company of Sussex aristocrat Bertie Milton, and Yorkshireman Peter Cruikshank, in this compelling and entertaining story of friendship and family life.
They meet while serving in the British army. Both later work for shipping insurers Lloyds of London and are destined to travel on the ill-fated cruise liner, Titanic. Bertie disembarks in Ireland but Peter stays on board and is unaccounted for when the ship goes down, assumed drowned.
Bertie’s life continues with marriage to ex-debutante Amanda. Their lively talented daughters become world famous for very different reasons.
With a twist of fate other truths come to light. Why did Titanic sink on its maiden voyage with so much loss of life?
Who can explain the overwhelming impact of the unexpected? Perhaps Peter Cruikshank holds the key.
This is my third book, ‘FLOWERS on the COLD WALL- A Sixties Saga’
Follow the dramatic story of the Descan family through the nineteen-sixties, a decade of cultural, political and social change epitomised by 'Flower Power' and the meteoric rise of a pop group from Liverpool.
Patrick Descan is an enigmatic war hero with a mysterious past and business interests which are secret even to his own family.
His wife Gillian, an actress deeply troubled by a dark incident in her life, desperately wants to find out how Patrick earns the money for the prosperous lifestyle enjoyed by the couple and their three children.
The resurgence of the Cold War, including the U-2 spy plane incident and the appearance of the Berlin Wall, and the assassination of President John F Kennedy, leads to a catastrophic family crisis. How can it be resolved?
Drawing heavily on his own remarkable experience of the nineteen-sixties the author weaves an intriguing tale of a family torn apart by world events and...boarding school... also fascinating insight into the lives of teenagers growing up in 'The Beatles decade'.
Back cover of 'Flowers on the Cold Wall- A Sixties Saga'
This is my fourth book: A Writer’s Dozen; Twelve Short Stories & Poetry Quartet
