I explore the nuances of history through fiction and non-fiction.

I've always had a passion for history … and adventure. My formative years were spent on the Caribbean island of Grenada, where I rarely attended school, spending my days indulging in archaeology, sailing, diving and exploring. I spent my 21st birthday partying at the British Army’s Jungle Warfare Training camp – “Hummingbird Cottage” in Belize, and later I held a Top Secret security clearance while working throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations with the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

To the surprise of family and friends (not to mention myself), I eventually added the alphabet soup of PhD, JD and MBA after my name, became a senior official in the US government, and spent the following years as an international lawyer and entrepreneur, during which time I rose early and spent weekends to indulge another passion - writing. During that time, I published four books and over 100 articles including scholarly pieces on Caribbean colonial history - “Fedon’s Rebellion” (Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research 1984) [link] -and Scottish history - “Walsingham and the Witch: England´s Failed Attempt to Pacify King James VI” (History Scotland, August-September 2021) [link]. I also wrote for the Harvard International Review, The New York Times, US Naval Institute Proceedings and the RUSI Journal.

I'm now dividing my time between practicing law and building my literary career. My narrative non-fiction biography, Elizabethan Secret Agent: The Untold Story of William Ashby (1536-1593) was published in hardback in 2022 by Scotland Street Press, Edinburgh, and released in April 2023 in the USA in both hardcover and softcover versions. Also published in 2022 was Ranger, an Action/Adventure novel set in the 18th century. Ranger, which won the Historical Fiction Company´s “Five Star” award, is the story of Alexander Charteris - “Chart” - a mixed-raced hero who overcomes overwhelming obstacles to succeed as a British military officer - think of a black "Sharpe" a la Bernard Cornwell´s famous series. Ranger has recently been adapted as the Pilot for a seven episode streaming TV seriers,

Desperate Valour, sequel to Ranger, which is set during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 was published in April 2023, in Kindle and softcover editions.

Below, in this Authors in Mallorca podcast, I talk about being mentored as a teen by authors in Grenada; an unusual motorcycle tour that attracted the attention of Spanish police; my writing process and more.

Link: Authors in Mallorca