Laurence J. Brown

A lawyer by profession I am fortunate enough to have had two novels published to date: "Housecarl" an account of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and "Cold Heart, Cruel Hand: a novel of Hereward the Wake" a sequel, focusing upon the great fen rebellion of 1070.

I live in Boston, Lincolnshire, a relatively peaceful County on the eastern side of England, and am married with one son. If asked I would say that I am something of an introvert by nature but I do enjoy talking about my work, history generally and in particular the Norman Conquest of England and the Napoleonic Wars. I enjoy being able to visit the battlefield sites throughout Britain that decided, in one way or another, the fate of our nation and to walk, in my own small way, in the footsteps of some great (and other, not so great) men.

Travel generally is something I enjoy greatly although I have not yet travelled as far or as often as I should like. I adore Italy for its people, its climate its food and wine and its deep rooted culture. I firmly believe we can learn a great deal from the Romans! France comes a close second for much the same reasons. Travel broadens the mind, so they say. I am sure they are right.

I try to keep abreast of current affairs, both nationally and internationally, and enjoy corresponding upon these and many other matters with readers of my work and other authors from all over the world.

Reading is, of course, a great pastime of mine and between bouts of research I enjoy reading historical fiction of all kinds. I am currently engrossed in the novels of Steven Pressfield having just finished the brilliant "Alexander trilogy" by the late Mary Renault but will read and enjoy many other kinds of literature, whether it be contemporary fiction, biographies (eg Wellington, Nelson, Napoleon, Alexander the Great etc) or whatever else takes my fancy.

My garden is reasonably large and I enjoy relaxing in that when I can. (It is amazing how the creative juices can flow whilst mowing the lawn!) When I am doing none of these things I enjoy listening to Classical and other music. I am not a great opera fan but consider the duets and arias of Puccini to be amongst the most beautiful works I know.

I am currently working on my third novel, details of which will be published on my website, www.laurencejbrown.com in due course. I sense that I am developing as a writer and am encouraged by the reviews being received for the sequel, "Cold Heart, Cruel Hand" and which compare favourably with the somewhat mixed reviews for "Housecarl" (see, for example, the reviews for both on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com)

I have never been entirely happy with certain aspects of "Housecarl" it being my first novel, and am currently involved in a short re-write to address these issues and to update the novel in the light of recent developments. The revised novel will be available later this year.

I enjoy my work, love my family and my writing. I try always to keep in mind the words of that greatest of Englishmen, Sir Winston Churchill: "Never, never, never, give up."

I do not intend to.