David West's Blog

I haven’t posted here for a while. I’ve been concentrating on my new website, www.davidvswest.co.uk but I noticed that people are still visiting this blog, and I didn’t want to abandon it altogether. So anything related to historical fiction, spying, and crime writing will be posted on my website. Anything I want to say that I can’t, however ingeniously, relate to selling my historical fiction, I’ll post here.

I’ve updated my phone to an iPhone 14 Pro. I am not a gadget nerd or IT guru. I was quite happy with my iPhone X until I left it in my back pocket after a round of golf and sat on it. I needed a new phone.

Several things attracted me to the latest iPhone. Since my first iPad I’ve been an Apple convert. Mixing and matching doesn’t work for me, all my devices work seamlessly together. As a sailor and occasional long-distance walker, the distress messaging facility via satellite looked like a potentially useful attribute. The water resistance of 30 minutes at 6 metres depth is also a great comfort to a yachtsman.

I hope I’ll never get to test either the distress messaging or water-resistance. So what have I noticed about my new phone. It’s certainly a lot faster. Every app seems to work faster, pages load more quickly. Not being a geek, I can’t quote you figures. However I use the SwingU app while playing golf to get my yardages to the green, and record my scores. You’re advised to set location services to always while playing. Even so with my iPhone X there was a second or two delay in getting my yardages. With the iPhone 14 Pro, as soon as I look at the screen, the yardage is there. The other thing is power consumption. After a morning round of golf my iPhone X was down to 30% battery remaining. With the iPhone 14 Pro, after my morning round, I have 94% battery remaining. Of course my iPhone X was 5 years old, so the battery life was bound to be down a bit. But 30% vs 94% is huge!

The iPhone 14 Pro is meant to have a much better camera. I think I can notice a difference, but to be honest, the iPhone X took some great photographs. I long ago gave up using my Nikon SLR. I’m sure it’s a great camera, but the SLR requires a level of photographic skill that I don’t have. The phone takes great photos regardless of my ability.

I’ve had a new website build by DigiPrint in Chippenham. It’s http://www.davidvswest.co.uk take a look. It’s primarily for my historical fiction series The Sir Anthony Standen Adventures.

Last night I watched a programme about the Battle of Britain. Dennis David, a fighter pilot with 87 squadron said something like this:

It just made us so bloody angry, these planes with black crosses on flying over our country. They were bombing our mothers. It made us aggressive, and it made us absolutely determined to give a good account of ourselves.

They certainly did, against a deadly and vastly more numerous foe. They fought for their county and their mothers. They won.

My writing software, Scrivener, tells me that on my writing days, my daily average is 720 words. I’m working harder than that, on things like research, marketing, and thinking about the plot. I’m sure I could physically write more, but I think the plot would suffer. It seems as if 720 words of plot is as much as I can carry around at a time. Then I need to rest, do other things, and let the next section take shape in my mind’s eye.

When I was writing my non-fiction book, Project Sponsorship, I wrote a lot more, at least between drawing diagrams. I knew the subject inside out. With fiction, and in my case, historical fiction, I have a theme and a plot outline, but things change along the way. New ideas are revealed which you have to pause and explore.

I have posted recently about making the characters in my novels as true to their history as possible, and how when I discovered that my 10th great-grandmother’s name was Denis Standen, I had to make it Denise. OK, I sold out on that one. I have had a few comments about my first novel, The Spy who Sank the Armada having three Henrys and three Anthonys and how that was confusing. Well it was the “War of the three Henrys”, Henry III of France, Henry of Navarre, and Henry of Guise. Anthony Bacon was one of Walsingham’s spymasters, and he controlled my hero, Sir Anthony Standen and, wait for it, Anthony Rolston.

Sir Anthony Standen was one of the sons of Edmund Standen. Edmund’s other sons were, another Anthony and Edmund, my 10th great-grandfather. The latter Edmund had a son Thomas. Thomas had a son James (b 1629). James had a son James (b 1655). The latter James had a son James (b 1695). He had a son Samuel (b 1728) and he had a son, Samuel (b 1753). Thankfully he named his son Elias (b 1779), and Elias was my 3rd great-grandfather.

It’s not my fault if people in the old days lacked imagination when it came to baptisms. I guess there weren’t as many saints around then to name people after.

I think the hardest thing about writing a book is getting the first words down. Finding the setting and theme is fairly easy. I just leaf forward through history, from where the last book ended, until something catches my attention. Then I start researching the events and characters, that’s the really enjoyable part. Of course I continue researching as I go along, but I have to force myself to get started on the story. I’ll get stuck somewhere along the line, but my characters will be there to help me out. Well, today was that day. I’ve started Book 4, 568 words in the bag, hurrah! I toyed with a title: The Baker, The Witch, and The Jew, but I think I can do better.

I suppose many authors of children’s books will have tested them on their own children. They’ll have had direct feedback on what worked, and what didn’t. When it comes to adult fiction, I think we probably write for ourselves, I know I do. I write the sort of books that I’ve enjoyed reading. As an author of historical fiction, you spend so much time in research, that you simply wouldn’t do it if you didn’t enjoy it.

I make it a fundamental principle of my work that as many characters as possible will be real people. When I needed the Spanish ambassador to Paris in 1567, I found out who he really was. Later when I needed someone who was on the Spanish council of war in 1588, imagine my surprise and delight to discover that my ambassador had been. I have lost count of the number of times my research has led me to people Anthony has met before. I find the web of history fascinating, and I’m drawn into it.

Of course the downside is that some readers won’t be so interested in the detail or the background. Most of my readers love the authenticity and enjoy discovering history that they didn’t know. But some find the detail slows the pace. I’m sorry, but I’m writing what I want to read, and you can’t please everyone. During my short break after The Suggested Assassin, and before getting stuck into book 4, I’ve read two books, Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale, and Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz. They’re very different books, but I really enjoyed them both. They are also both award winners. When I browsed through the reviews I found that they both had a lot of great reviews, but also a few stinkers. I am quite sure that Alan and Benjamin wrote what they would want to read, and we are all slightly different. We write for ourselves.

‘What was she wearing? You described what Anthony was wearing, then he just said “You look amazing!” when he saw Maria.’ It was a fair point that my wife made, so I set about researching early 17th century French female court fashion. Now my inbox is full of recommendations based on my browsing history. If Pinterest is anything to go by, there seems to be a considerable interest in such attire. My wife is working on a book cover for her friend. She needed to draw a road-sweeper. Now her inbox is full of recommendations for toy road-sweepers.

The third book in The Sir Anthony Standen Adventures is now published on Amazon. It’s too early for any reviews but here are a few things said about the first two books.

“West does a masterful job of introducing Standen’s character while also showing 16th-century Europe through his eyes. The novel also delivers a remarkably nuanced depiction of diverse cultures and kingdoms along the way. The author establishes early on that his protagonist seeks “fame and fortune,” and keeps Standen’s characterization consistent and intriguing as he pursues these motivations. West carefully documents the consequences of Standen’s desire to prove himself and gain material wealth, creating a complex portrait. Spy techniques, fight scenes, and an array of attractive supporting characters give the novel a James Bond–esque atmosphere while staying rooted in historical context.” – Kirkus

“Thus begins a clever historical novel that mixes a touch of danger with papal politics and the newly emerging heretical theory that Earth revolves around the sun. West’s fictionalized account of the period treats readers to delightful face-to-face conversations with such luminaries as Galileo and his fellow champion of the Copernican theory of the universe, Venetian scientist and politician Paolo Sarpi. The drama plays out against the backdrop of historical religious and political rivalries roiling Europe at the time. But it is the author’s lively, frequently sardonic dialogue (despite Hugh’s quirks in linguistic construction, which are initially challenging) and meticulous attention to the details of fashion, lifestyle, and culinary indulgences that bring the past alive—and paint a scathing indictment of a cruel, devious, and power-hungry papacy. The final chapters, starring Anthony’s twins, signal a likely third installment. An edgy, engaging mystery with a few intriguing twists.” – Kirkus

“In 1607, Sir Anthony Standen is commissioned by the Vatican to solve some rather unusual murders. Along the way, he realizes that corruption is rampant, and he begins to question his faith. Will he find the killer and ease his conscience? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Do you like science, murder mysteries, historical fiction, and theological discussions? Then you’ll love this novel! “Fire and Earth” explores all of these themes with a dash of romance to top it off. I especially like the fact that the story is based on real historical figures and events. The noted scientist, Galileo, even makes an appearance.” – Josephe-Anne

“The Spy who Sank the Armada’ by David West is an exciting historical tale of espionage in a tumultuous time in European History.

An incredibly detailed and well-thought out book, the research into the historical events and characters throughout pays dividends as the reader is immersed in a fully fleshed out and authentic setting.

I enjoyed the plot, it has plenty of action and twists and turns as Anthony experiences both successes and hardships. A solid historical fiction, with plenty of intrigue I think that any fans of historical fiction would find this book entertaining.” – LoveReading – the original and UK’s biggest and best known book recommendation brand

I was inspired to write my first novel, The Spy who Sank the Armada, when I read George Malcolm Thomson’s biography of Sir Francis Drake. “The time had come when Walsingham was no longer satisfied with news that came to him at second-hand, whether from Santa Cruz’s kitchen or from the Governor of Guernsey’s reports of the gossip on Breton ships or in Rouen taverns. He needed an accurate and detailed stream of information about the number of Philip’s ships, their tonnage, the sailors who would man them and the soldiers they would carry. Thanks above all to Standen, he got what he wanted.”

As Standen is a family name I became interested. I read his entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, the letters concerning him in the archive of the Duke of Tuscany, reports on him by Venetian ambassadors held in the British Library, and Daphne du Maurier’s The Golden Lads, in which Standen is a minor character. The story of Sir Anthony Standen seemed to be the most amazing story I had read, but I kept asking myself, “why did he do that?”, and “how did he do that?”. I then started to write his story myself, sticking as closely as possible to the known facts of his life and the history of the time. It was like a join the dots puzzle. I have since discovered that my 10th great-grandfather, Edmund, was Anthony’s younger brother.

Having got to know Anthony, and thoroughly enjoyed the research, I was compelled to continue writing. I leafed forwards through history looking for events and characters that grabbed my interest. The year 1607 and the characters of Paolo Sarpi and Giordano Bruno caught my attention, and Fire and Earth was conceived. Events in 1610 in Paris have inspired my soon to be published third book in the series, The Suggested Assassin. I have just entered the research phase for book 4, and Frankfurt in 1612 looks interesting. The cogs are beginning to whir.