Congratulations to Patrick Larsimont, whose thrilling military adventure, The Wire and the Lines, is published today!
The Wire and the Lines is fifth instalment of the Jox McNabb Aviation Thrillers series: action-packed historical novels following a young RAF pilot during the Second World War.
Summer, 1943
When fighter pilot Jox McNabb crashes on the wrong side of the straits of Messina, he is captured by the Germans.
It seems that for Jox, the war might be over.
But Jox is never one to give up. Desperate to escape, he quickly familiarises himself with the camp and gets to know his fellow prisoners.
With punishment brutal for those that have attempted to flee previously, morale is low in the camp and there is little motivation to try and break the rules.
The war is still raging on the outside and Jox will do anything to get back to his No. 333 Squadron, the Black Pigs.
On the orders of a cruel Luftwaffe Colonel, Jox is embroiled in a scheme to use high profile POWs as human shields, covering shipments of precious artworks looted from Sicily and Italy.
Could this mission provide Jox with the means to escape? Can he blow the whistle on the stolen loot?
And can he get back in action and rejoin the war in the skies…?
My writing has two modes, much like the clock, British Summer Time and Greenwich Mean Time. Living by the sea in Dorset, the weather rather sets the mood and often my productivity.
In the winter, when it’s darker, I get up early and write directly onto my computer. Earlier this year, I acquired two largish monitors, which I have side by side on a stand, below which I have my MacBook Pro. My desk is invariably covered in paper, notebooks and little bibelots that keep me interested, amused and inspired.
When I glance at the nearby window ledge, I see a toy metal Spitfire in desert camo with a spinning propellor, and a pair of painted tin soldiers (not by me), one a bagpiper in full regalia, the other a 1940s RAF pilot, inscribed on the bottom as ‘Hurricane Ace, Battle of Britain.’ Finally, there’s my grandfather’s little silver boar, a memento of his own service during the war. It bears the motto, ‘Résiste et Mords,’ which got him through many battles and the camps. He’s gone now, but just seeing that pig always rids me of any writer’s block, knowing full well that I’ve had it much easier than him.
In winter mode, I stare at a radiator and the world comes to me through my monitors, making me feel like some sort of chaotic air traffic controller. Heaven help the pilots in my care, although old Jox McNabb is holding his own. I generally aim for twelve hundred words a day and have a weekly target of at least five thousand. It’s a cadence I can manage and feeds my nature as an impatient man.
Patrick’s summer writing area
In the summertime, the process becomes two-staged. I write first in my notebook, in terrible doctor-style handwriting, sometimes so awful I can’t even decipher my own hieroglyphics. I can write anywhere — on the beach, at a coffeeshop (rarely) or in our garden (most often), and train journeys are good too. I don’t get too comfortable and like to just write, setting myself the target of twelve notebook pages per session. I then type up, embellish and edit whenever I fancy. Generally, I do about four drafts, plotting out a rough chapter breakdown at first, with two or three sentences for each. Invariably, that synopsis changes, with chapters budding off like yeast.
For inspiration, I depend on the internet and my constantly growing pile of to-be-read books, but often I just make stuff up. A lifetime of blagging it helps. When working on the laptop and monitors, the lure of ‘rabbit holes’ is great, and I can disappear for hours, but when grinding through with the notebook, I try to avoid that, although I do usually have my smartphone in my pocket.
If I did have a writing approach, it would probably be something like Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ (that’s the old adman in me), but ‘Résiste et Mords’ would probably do too.
Congratulations to Patrick Larsimont, whose thrilling wartime adventure, The Vulcan and the Straits, is out now!
The Vulcan and the Straits is the fourth book in the Jox McNabb Aviation Thrillers series: action-packed, authentic historical adventures following a young RAF pilot during the Second World War.
Autumn, 1942
Fighter pilot, Jox McNabb has survived the desert and the second battle of El Alamein, but now No. 111 Squadron is heading into a fresh new storm.
They embark on Operation Torch, the invasion of Vichy North Africa, but adverse weather conditions make flying almost impossible.
And their Commanding Officer, Tony Bartley is losing control as he becomes more and more dependent on alcohol.
After a rocky few months, and a final disastrous mission, it is decided that Jox should step up to Squadron Leader.
But as the North African campaign worsens and Bartley becomes increasingly erratic, Jox finds himself fighting an uphill battle.
Is Jox up for the challenge of command? Can he lead his men to victory?
Congratulations to Patrick Larsimont, whose gripping aviation adventure, The Maple and the Blue, is published today!
The Maple and the Blue is the third book in the Jox McNabb Aviation Thrillers series: action-packed, authentic historical adventures following a young RAF pilot during the Second World War.
Spring, 1942
The Allies and Fighter Command have gone on the offensive. The French town of Dieppe is selected for the first major assault on the European continent.
But Jox McNabb and No.111 Squadron start to feel like they are being lured into a trap.
And their new leader is acting unpredictably, making them worried that he can’t be trusted.
As the largest air armada since the Battle of Britain prepares for the operation, Jox suspects their squadron leader is using the men for his own vanity and ambition.
And if the Dieppe raid goes wrong could it prove to be a devastating sacrifice.
Can Jox lead his men to victory? Will the ambitious operation be a success? Or will the squadron face disaster…?
The Maple and the Blue sees Jox McNabb and his comrades of No. 111 Squadron, the Treble Ones, prepare and train for Operation Jubilee, the raid on the French seaside town of Dieppe in Normandy. It would be the first major Allied assault on the European continent, spearheaded by Canadian ground forces, but it also promised to be the largest air battle since the Battle of Britain.
When writing Jox’s adventures, I like to include some of the real characters, locations and events that I uncover during the course of my research into the period. I hope by doing so I provide a convincing evocation of the time, but also share the stories of people, locations and events on the very edge of living memory.
Here are three examples from my next book:
During the training phase before Operation Jubilee, Jox and his commanding officer are invited to a party near Biggin Hill at a large villa called The Red House. This was the home of Moira and Sheila Macneal, six-foot twin sisters known as the Belles of Biggin Hill. Wealthy socialites whose father was known as the Black Knight, they hosted celebrated parties for ‘The Few’ during the Battle of Britain and afterwards. Suffice to say, Jox attracts the interest of one of them and he finds her to be as formidable an adversary as any he’s met up in the skies.
During this time, Jox also drops in for a drink at the celebrated Battle of Britain pub, the White Hart in Brasted. On the wall in the bar is the famous blackboard covered with the signatures of many legendary aces including Sailor Malan, Al Deere, Colin Gray, Johnny Kent and Johnnie Johnson.
Image courtesy of Dougal Fisken
Later on in the story, Jox and his Norwegian comrade (spoiler alert), Axel Fisken, find themselves stranded on the ground near the Dieppe Pourville Golf Club, one of the oldest golf courses in France. Somehow, they manage to find an escape vehicle, which turns out to be a beautiful 1929 Bentley Speed Six tourer, like the one which won the Le Mans twenty-four hours in 1930. As it happens, my own good friend, Dougal Fisken’s family own this one pictured, and so provide the inspiration for the tale.
This and many other personalities, factoids and anecdotes litter my stories, and I hope you enjoy discovering them as much as I enjoy finding a place for them in Jox McNabb’s tale. Jox’s war is just getting started, so I hope you’ll join me for his forthcoming adventures.
Congratulations to Patrick Larsimont, whose thrilling World War II adventure, The Raiders and the Cross, is out now!
The Raiders and the Cross is the second book in the Jox McNabb Aviation Thrillers series: action-packed, authentic historical adventures following a young RAF pilot during the Second World War.
Winter, 1940
Enemy raiders are bombing Britain’s cities relentlessly. Casualties are high and morale is at an all-time low.
Jox McNabb and the rest of No.111 Squadron train to become night fighters to take on the raiders inflicting such carnage on Britain’s cities.
But then tragedy strikes and Jox is devastated by the loss of those close to him.
Scarred physically and emotionally, he recovers slowly. Seeking a fresh start, he volunteers to serve in the turbulent skies of besieged Malta.
But this new location quickly becomes just as dangerous as the last.
Can Jox forget the tragedy that haunts him? Will he survive the murderous assault of the Luftwaffe?
And can a desperate Malta withstand the relentless onslaught?
Congratulations to Patrick Larsimont, whose thrilling wartime adventure, The Lightning and the Few, is published today!
The Lightning and the Fewis the first book in the Jox McNabb Aviation Thrillers series: action-packed, authentic historical adventures following a RAF pilot during the second world war.
Scotland, 1939
When Jox McNabb is expelled from school he is forced to look to his future.
Inspired by the sight of a Hurricane flying over him, he becomes determined to join the RAF.
And after basic training, Jox is posted to RAF Montrose with the growing group of other recruits he has met along the way.
Battling the bleak Scottish elements and finding themselves immediately thrown in at the deep end, the lads struggle to keep up with the training.
Many are deemed unfit for service, and after tragedy strikes, Jox questions if he’s got what it takes.
Can Jox earn his wings to face Blitzkrieg and defend his country in its hour of need? Does he have the courage and skill to become one of The Few? Will he beat the odds to survive his first battle?
