Thursday, October 01, 2020
Experience and Imagination
I have been a principal councillor now, for over 36 years, In that time I have learnt a great deal about the way local government works. I also spent 17 years as a Welsh Assembly Member, for three years of that I was Deputy Minister for Local Government in Wales.
In writing my first two novels, The Assassination of Morgan Sheckler (available here) and The Only Game in Town (available here) I drew extensively on the knowledge and experience I gained in those roles.
In particular, in both novels my knowledge of planning law, licensing and the law around village greens proved invaluable. But whereas I place a lot of emphasis on getting my facts straight, the essence of both novels has nothing to do with the technical aspects.
Both books are about the abuse of power, and how people placed in certain situations take advantage to secure their own self interest. They are thrillers, with some interesting twists and strong stories.
I have been asked on many occasions whether I have based these stories on real people and actual events. I have not. Instead I have tried to construct credible situations based on my knowledge of what could happen.
Please read them for yourselves and let me know what you think.
In writing my first two novels, The Assassination of Morgan Sheckler (available here) and The Only Game in Town (available here) I drew extensively on the knowledge and experience I gained in those roles.
In particular, in both novels my knowledge of planning law, licensing and the law around village greens proved invaluable. But whereas I place a lot of emphasis on getting my facts straight, the essence of both novels has nothing to do with the technical aspects.
Both books are about the abuse of power, and how people placed in certain situations take advantage to secure their own self interest. They are thrillers, with some interesting twists and strong stories.
I have been asked on many occasions whether I have based these stories on real people and actual events. I have not. Instead I have tried to construct credible situations based on my knowledge of what could happen.
Please read them for yourselves and let me know what you think.
