A New Voice In Fiction

A breakneck narrative in the first person past, ‘The Sheriff’s Catch’ is the first instalment in a five novel series entitled ‘The Sassana Stone Pentalogy’.

It tells the story of a survivor of the Spanish Armada shipwrecks in Ireland, that is in turn both harrowing and inspiring. The historical setting of the novel is the juncture at which various intriguing cultures clash, which include Spanish counter-reformist castaways, ‘late medieval’ Irish tribesmen and reformist English colonists, known to the terrorised locals as ‘Sassenachs’.

The intrigue and violence of the period contribute to the plot of this grimdark Renaissance thriller, which is also bursting with the raw, untamed elements of grit lit. Years spent researching sixteenth century Irish history have led to the development of characters who are in turn flawed and vivid, and at all times a product of the fast-shifting world they inhabit.

My influences are not confined to historical fiction alone, yet also include elements from the genres of epic fantasy, horror and crime, amongst others.