Introduction
The smell of earth and hot sun’s rays
or come soft rain distilled.
Not for me laborious days
my dreams left unfulfilled.
With passionate spirit as bridges burn
I’ll find courage for my quest.
And always hope that fate’s last turn
will prove itself the best.
In 2014 my first book ‘Blood, Sweat and Beer’ was published, an autobiography which detailed my upbringing during the 1950′s and followed my exploits as I struggled through life up until I reached my early sixties. I wrote it first and foremost to create a record of what I think has been an interesting and eventful life. I thought it important to get it down on paper while I could still remember the details of what has passed and to serve as a reference for following generations of my family. Packed with nostalgia and studded with small doses of humour to help make the story more readable, it was an enjoyable creative experience and once completed I was thrilled to receive such positive feedback from those who read it. So many people have told me how they related to my journey and it appears to have inspired many others to embark on similar projects.
Once my first book was completed I found myself slipping into a bit of a void. Keen to continue writing I was left wondering what I ought to do next. A novel seemed the logical progression so what you are about to read is the result. But on what should I base my novel? During the writing of my autobiography, while documenting the various events which all played a role in me becoming the person I am, I realised how differently my life may have turned out had I made just a few alternative decisions in the early days. I found an obvious fork in the road where I could easily have gone off on an entirely different tangent. It was at the point that I left the army during the 1970′s and restarted life as a civilian. An opportunity arose which I didn’t take, but what if I had? This story is based on events which were occurring at that time and begins just before the opportunity presented itself. It’s what possibly could have happened had I chosen to tread a different path.
Many of the incidents and locations referred to in this novel are based on real events and places but some dates have been altered slightly to fit the time line of the story and all characters are fictional.
