Newsletter - 19th August 2025

Mementoes of our visit to the excellent RAF Tangmere museum. BTW that's Douglas Bader's Spit.

I’m told if I’m to be a ‘grown up’ author, I should have a newsletter. This therefore is my first newsletter, penned as it happens on my thirtieth wedding anniversary. Mrs L and I enjoyed a seafood extravaganza at Rick Stein’s, one of our favourites, to mark the occasion (See Facebook). I intend to send one of these out every month. Let’s see if I can keep to this promise as well as I did that one.

To date, I've written nine military thriller novels, six of which are published, two are currently with my editor and one is in the pipeline. My debut was published in December 2022, and I started writing during lockdown. I'm grateful they’re doing reasonably well: https://author.to/PatrickLarsimont

Most of you will know me from my Jox McNabb WW2 Aviation thrillers, the sixth of which THE RAPIDS AND THE ABBEY will be out for Christmas 2025. It tells the story of Jox’s war in Italy, leading up to the battle for Monte Cassino. It’s on pre-order pricing on Amazon at the moment, so I’d welcome your interest, not least because it tickles the old algorithm along. It will of course be available in printed book format on the publication date of 19^th December. I hope you’ll check it out: https://getbook.at/RapidsAndTheAbbey

You may also like to check out my stand-alone military ghost story, set in Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. I used to walk there during lockdown. It occurred to me that the rows of graves each represented characters in a story, their own but also our collective history. It’s had good reviews but hasn’t quite taken off in the same way as Jox has. I hope you’ll give it a go: https://getbook.at/TheBrookwoodBoys

So, what else have I been up to? Well, I’ve written a collaboration novel with six other authors who I share a publisher with. It’s a Dunkirk story, written from the perspective of nine characters on different sides of that decisive moment in WW2. Our working title is A MIRACLE OF DELIVERANCE, from Churchill’s quote regarding the evacuation from the beaches. I expect it will be published next year, hopefully in time for the anniversary of the events. Look out for it.

I’m told a good author newsletter should include a freebie for you to enjoy, and since we’ve

just had the 80^thanniversary of VJ Day, I attach a timely short story, THE DINNER BELL. I wrote it a few years ago and it was long listed for the Dorothy Dunnett Society / Historical Writers' Association Short Story Competition 2022, so I hope you like it.  For a copy, just sign up for my newsletter.

As I mentioned, today is my wedding anniversary. Thirty years ago, we got married on a very hot day in Chelsea, London. It was glorious occasion, not least because we had drinks and photos on the (parched, much like today) lawns. In the perfect blue skies over west London, was a spectacular flypast by the RAF and other air forces to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of VJ day. I can recall one of my friends, and it may even have been the chap who went on to inspire at least what Jox McNabb looks like, saying, ‘That’s bloody impressive, Paddy. Getting a fly-past organised for your wedding.’ I had served in the air force but had nothing like that pull. To be fair, he was probably well-refreshed by then, and it was a thirsty day.

Until the next time, I hope you enjoy the short story and thanks you for your ongoing support.

'Jox away...' Patrick