Behind every book I write, and woven into every story, is a mix of ideas and influences. These posts give some background behind the Boniface series.
Behind every book I write, and woven into every story, is a mix of ideas and influences. These posts give some background behind the Boniface series.
In Tattoo Your Name on My Heart Boniface finds himself the Surrey Hills. If you want archetypal gentle rolling English hills, near London, then take a look.
last updated: 10 March 2019; category: background tags: Surrey Hills Tattoo Your Name on My Heart
Some of the key scenes in Tattoo Your Name on My Heart are set in the old church at Albury. Let me show you round the location that provided the inspiration.
last updated: 9 March 2019; category: background tags: Tattoo Your Name on My Heart
When I was writing Tattoo Your Name on My Heart, I had a need for a minor character—a guitarist who plays in the fictional rock band Prickle. Luca Parzani is that character. In crafting Luca, I took inspiration from real life.
last updated: 10 April 2018; category: background tags: Tattoo Your Name on My Heart UFO guitar
Interference in Foreign Politics
In 2010, when I first started outlining The Murder of Henry VIII, I had an idea for a 500-year-old conspiracy theory about the murder of Henry VIII. The notion of the Russians trying to influence an election just didn’t seem that much of a stretch. The scenario …
last updated: 13 February 2018; category: politics tags: The Murder of Henry VIII Westphalian Settlement ricin cold war Bulgaria
In Pollute the Poor Boniface plays Sylvia, a tune from 1972 by the Dutch prog rock band Focus. The track is an instrumental with a strong, quite joyful melody, but there’s a mournful undercurrent. It’s one of those tunes that speaks without using …
last updated: 11 July 2017; category: music tags: Focus Sylvia Pollute the Poor