So many people have influenced me on my journey as an author, from famous characters in history, other authors, my dear friends and even the odd stranger on a train. They have made countless contributions, sometimes without even realising they were doing so, but without them my dreams of becoming an author would still be dormant.

My love of history was of my own volition but with no doubt, was fueled by the sensational novels of artists such as Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden and so many others, who have inspired me to pursue my passion, which I am now doing on a full-time basis.

I remember reading the novel 'The Great Siege' by William Napier and being so engrossed in his fascinating tale of the siege of Malta that it kept me up till the early hours of the morning. When writing my second novel in my series of 'The Turin Shroud Trilogy'. I knew that true inspiration would come from walking the walls of the same strongholds of those held by the courageous Knights of St John. The same could be said for the 'Grail Quest' series by Bernard Cornwell which kept me wanting to be alongside his legendary archers, only to see how they let fly their arrows from their mighty longbows.

I still remember to this day, telling a friend of my plans to write a novel on the Crusades. "Don't tell me about it. Write it," I was told. As I proudly finished my first manuscript, I realised that I had always wanted to be able to aspire to these tremendous novelists of historical fiction and for that I will always be grateful.

So many times I have heard that every person has a book inside of them. To those who wish to make that idea a reality, I would say "Don't wait, simply write. The rest will follow."

Acknowledgements

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