Newsletter - 22nd September 2025

plarsimont
Sep 22
3 min read

Here we are with my second author newsletter sent out. I'm trying to get them out once a month. If you'd like to be on the mailing list please sign up on this website. Doing so should be pretty self-explanatory.

My daughter's interpretation of Jox McNabb in pride of place (with some little friends)

Last week was the 85^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and my thoughts were with

‘The Few’, who sadly are all gone now. Winston Churchill famously said of them, ‘Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.’

It is these ‘Few’ that are at the heart of my Jox McNabb WW2 Aviation novels, specifically my debut THE LIGHTNING AND THE FEW: https://mybook.to/LightningAndTheFew

A further four have been published since, as Jox navigates his way through what is proving to be a very long war. Book Six in the series, THE RAPIDS AND THE ABBEY will be released in time for Christmas 2025 and tells the story of Jox’s war in Italy, and the events leading up to the battle for Monte Cassino. It is currently at pre-order pricing on Amazon, so I’d welcome your interest, as support always tickles the old algorithm along. It will of course be available in printed format on publication day, the 19^thof December. Hope you’ll check it out: https://getbook.at/RapidsAndTheAbbey

I’m currently writing the seventh Jox McNabb story, with the working title of THE HUNTERS AND THE WRATH. It sees our Jox take participate in the greatest amphibious operation in history, flying the Hawker Typhoon, the dreaded Jagdbomber, the Jabo, or hunter-bomber. Jox and his men also have to contend with the instrument of the Führer’s wrath, the V-1 Doodlebugs. It should be quite a ride. I’m hoping to have the novel published for the D-Day anniversary in 2026.

As a free bonus to this month’s newsletter, I've included a short story telling the true tale of Cecil Hight, a young fighter pilot from New Zealand, who died during the Battle of Britain, near where I live. He is one of ‘The Few’ and means a great deal to me, as I pass his memorial every day and have visited his grave many times. To recieve it please sign up. For more info on Cecil Hight, please see: https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Hight.htm

When researching ‘The Few’, I often come across the portraits by the war artist Cuthbert Orde. For those familiar with my books, you’ll know I like to include real individuals as characters. I've therefore compiled a little collection of what some of ‘my few’ looked like and shared it with this month's newsletter. You know the drill. How young they are and all with that haunted, faraway look. It's what is behind that look that I try to capture in my stories.

Also, whilst I'm not a fan of AI, through sheer curiosity, I did once ask the dreaded ChatGBT to have a go at drawing our Jox in the style of Orde. I’m not convinced it did that great a job, but what do you think? Personally, I much prefer my daughter’s interpretation of her ‘favourite uncle.’