So Great a Man trilogy
I edited the following three books, and all have now been published by GB Publishing. They are available on Amazon or www.gbpublishing.co.uk.
Book One - The Ploughboy (June 2018)
William Neal was born in 1791 in the Scottish borders. He spent his initial years as a poor ploughboy, almost enslaved by the draconian Earl of Brackenholm. Rotten conditions and lack of food took many lives, so William watched his sister, mother, and father all pass away. His only salvation was the hours he had dedicated to learning to read and write. Knowledge and bravery were his only weapons when he decided to run away from Brackenholm at 15 years old and head to London.
On his journey, William encountered a host of different people from bargees to drovers, learning important life lessons from each of them. When he eventually reached Paddington Basin on a barge, he had completed the hardest journey of his life. Little did he know the lessons he had learned would help him become successful beyond belief.
Book Two - Fortune (November 2018) and Book Three (September 2019)
William Neal has married the banker’s daughter and become wealthy printing books.
His wife dies young, but they have a son, Robert.
William wins the Brackenholm Estate from the conniving Earl in a game of cards and revives its fortunes.
After his death, Robert sells his shares in the printing works and becomes a Member of Parliament.
Robert’s elder son William inherits the estate, while younger Robert decides on a career as a surgeon, marries a servant, and is disinherited.
Reviews for So Great a Man
5.0 out of 5 stars. Couldn’t put it down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 December 2018
A beautiful work of historical fiction set in early 19th century England. The story draws you in till you find yourself rooting for young William, just a boy finding his way in a harsh world. Engaging writing that conveys emotion through the telling of the story rather than over-embellished language.
5.0 out of 5 stars. Quite, quite wonderful.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2018
Quite, quite wonderful: a story through time, where you feel you’re almost a part of such.
Conspirators: To Each His Own Agenda
I edited Matthew's debut novel, which is now available to buy on Amazon.
Quis est quin prodis Romae - What will you betray for Rome?
Rome has ruled supreme for thousands of years but now it hangs on the edge of an abyss. A hundred years of unforgiving civil war, famine, plague and invasions have brought the Roman kingdom to its knees.
The frontier outpost rebel and the throne of Rome lies empty. Only the Prince of Sea Ward and his ally, the Governor of Islesfield, stand a chance at overthrowing the Dictator of Rome to face against World War. Exitum.
Blood will be shed and allegiances will be tested. Rome will be forever changed.
The Unsound Sister
I edited Lelita Baldock's second novel, which is now available to buy on Amazon
Available from Amazon Australia (eBook only)
Available from Amazon UK (eBook and paperback)
Available from Amazon US (eBook and paperback)
Grant Huxley is dead. Found brutally stabbed in his hotel room in Beesands. His estranged wife Eloise Lane-Huxley and her sister June Lane are discovered at their home in Torcross, covered in blood and in possession of a pair of bloody crafting scissors.
DS Robert Fields interviews the sisters. Despite having no memory of the events surrounding the murder of her husband, Eloise is charged with murder.
Young and ambitious defense lawyer Harriet Bell is hired to defend Eloise. She quickly ascertains that a defence of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity - Automatism is the best chance of supporting her client.
Interviewing family and witnesses, Harriet uncovers secrets and hidden scandals and begins to doubt her client's guilt. Against the challenge of her own family history she works to uncover the truth.
Who really killed Grant Huxley?
Widow's Lace
I edited Lelita Baldock's first novel, which is now available to buy on Amazon
A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, an unnamed body and a young student determined to find the truth.
In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.
25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father.
Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.
Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.
Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.
