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I had long wanted to write a book, but never seemed to find the time. However, early in 2013 I finally started putting fingers to keyboard and produced a 94,000 word novel about modern-day piracy.
My choice of plot reflected, to some extent, my favourite fiction authors. From today these are action-oriented writers like David Baldacci and Lee Childs. From further back, Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle and Leslie Charteris. But of more relevance are authors such as Alistair Maclean, Douglas Reeman and Nicholas Monsarrat. All these wrote about the sea, ships and sailors. I would not be so conceited as to say that I have matched their quality of prose, but I find their style of writing understandable, easy to read and hugely enjoyable. Not to mention their gift for immersing me in their stories.
The target audience for my writing is adults. Probably people with an interest in the sea and merchant shipping – which includes those who have travelled on ferries and cruise liners as well as those with a more direct connection or interest. It extends to those who, whilst on holiday, have watched ships sailing in and out of harbours and wondered what cargoes those ships carried, what ports they had visited and where they were going next. In short, the audience could be anyone of us who looks at the sea and wonders about those who use it to earn a living.
With that in mind, I try to tell stories about vessels that travel the world’s oceans in calm and stormy weather, literally and figuratively. Ships that carry most of what we eat, drink, wear and use. A story about ships and the people who love, or abuse, them that will attract readers who like characters they can understand and characters with whom they can empathise.
The underpinning story lines are influenced hugely by my first career after leaving school: that of a Merchant Navy navigator. As a Cornishman raised with the sounds of waves crashing on to the shore below my bedroom, this was, perhaps inevitable. I followed that career into my twenties before coming ashore.
So, having started my working life as a sailor, and loved the time I spent at sea and in various ports around the world, I reflect on the sorts of experiences I had that I could use to form my story.
To date, my first six novels have dealt with modern-day piracy; human trafficking; multi-million dollar marine theft; government corruption; attacks on the world's greatest seaports; and smuggling.
However, Book 7 - The Last Hour - is different. The story takes place during World War 2 and is based in my home port: Newlyn in England's West Cornwall. It is a little, only a little, semi-biographical as that is where my Father, serving with the Royal Air Force Air Sea Rescue launches met my Mother, a local girl, during WW2. The rest of the story is fictional and follows a Royal Navy officer as he struggles to lead a flotilla of small fighting ships, taking the fight to the German Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. While he trains his new crews, he works closely with a WREN officer and the two develop a respect for each other which gradually turns into a deep love.
This book is also different in that it is my first foray into contracting with a bona fide publisher: Bloodhound Books, an independent British publisher, and is under my new pen name: Will Montgomery.
On a more personal note, I have been self-employed since 2009, helping small businesses by providing time-bound managerial support. The support varies from conducting market research to training their board directors in corporate responsibilities. I am married, with two adult children and a thirteen year old Border Collie. My interests are walking, reading, writing and playing occasional rounds of golf.
My choice of plot reflected, to some extent, my favourite fiction authors. From today these are action-oriented writers like David Baldacci and Lee Childs. From further back, Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle and Leslie Charteris. But of more relevance are authors such as Alistair Maclean, Douglas Reeman and Nicholas Monsarrat. All these wrote about the sea, ships and sailors. I would not be so conceited as to say that I have matched their quality of prose, but I find their style of writing understandable, easy to read and hugely enjoyable. Not to mention their gift for immersing me in their stories.
The target audience for my writing is adults. Probably people with an interest in the sea and merchant shipping – which includes those who have travelled on ferries and cruise liners as well as those with a more direct connection or interest. It extends to those who, whilst on holiday, have watched ships sailing in and out of harbours and wondered what cargoes those ships carried, what ports they had visited and where they were going next. In short, the audience could be anyone of us who looks at the sea and wonders about those who use it to earn a living.
With that in mind, I try to tell stories about vessels that travel the world’s oceans in calm and stormy weather, literally and figuratively. Ships that carry most of what we eat, drink, wear and use. A story about ships and the people who love, or abuse, them that will attract readers who like characters they can understand and characters with whom they can empathise.
The underpinning story lines are influenced hugely by my first career after leaving school: that of a Merchant Navy navigator. As a Cornishman raised with the sounds of waves crashing on to the shore below my bedroom, this was, perhaps inevitable. I followed that career into my twenties before coming ashore.
So, having started my working life as a sailor, and loved the time I spent at sea and in various ports around the world, I reflect on the sorts of experiences I had that I could use to form my story.
To date, my first six novels have dealt with modern-day piracy; human trafficking; multi-million dollar marine theft; government corruption; attacks on the world's greatest seaports; and smuggling.
However, Book 7 - The Last Hour - is different. The story takes place during World War 2 and is based in my home port: Newlyn in England's West Cornwall. It is a little, only a little, semi-biographical as that is where my Father, serving with the Royal Air Force Air Sea Rescue launches met my Mother, a local girl, during WW2. The rest of the story is fictional and follows a Royal Navy officer as he struggles to lead a flotilla of small fighting ships, taking the fight to the German Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. While he trains his new crews, he works closely with a WREN officer and the two develop a respect for each other which gradually turns into a deep love.
This book is also different in that it is my first foray into contracting with a bona fide publisher: Bloodhound Books, an independent British publisher, and is under my new pen name: Will Montgomery.
On a more personal note, I have been self-employed since 2009, helping small businesses by providing time-bound managerial support. The support varies from conducting market research to training their board directors in corporate responsibilities. I am married, with two adult children and a thirteen year old Border Collie. My interests are walking, reading, writing and playing occasional rounds of golf.
Genres: Historical
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