Conquest, occupation, resistance, liberation

Seeing this title, many people immediately think of the Second World War in Europe – the fall of France in 1940, the harsh German occupation, the bravery of the resistance and the Allied liberation in 1944/45. In the Far East, it was as brutal, but in a different context. Life under occupation for most people […]

Location, location, location

Readers who are kind enough to write reviews for my stories have often mentioned the settings. You can see (speculative) views of Roma Nova here.

But Double Identity is set in the ‘real’ world. I’ve changed the names of some buildings, but kept their characteristics.

‘Friars Green’ Police Station

Former Paddington Green Police […]

Mel and the French Army

Mel/Mélisende is a sergent-chef in the French Armée de Terre (land forces), equivalent to junior warrant officer in the UK forces. She chose to join as a direct entrant at the non-commissioned officer (NCO) level at 18. She could have gone to the officer training school at Saint-Cyr, but she had itchy feet after leaving […]