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52 ratings | 6 reviews | avg rating:4.31

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Christopher Hegan

Goodreads Author

Born

in Auckland, New Zealand

Website

http://themusketgirl.com

Twitter

heganChrishegan

Genre

Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Children's

Influences

Joseph Conrad Caroline Lawrence Mary Renault J.K. Rowling ...more

Member Since

January 2015

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Christopher Hegan is a fully paid-up baby-boomer, born in Onehunga, where the story of The Musket Girl starts, during the world-wide repopulation stampede following WWII. His teens coincided with the heady years of the 60s, seeing him quit law school to hit the hippy trail though Asia. He was rescued from a shipwreck in Indonesia and stayed and found work, becoming fluent in Indonesian. He stowed away on a ship to the US, was repatriated but returned to his beloved South-East Asia almost immediately, continuing his adventurous life which included time in a Buddhist monastery and also in the notorious Klong Prem Prison in Bangkok. He then travelled to India where he studied with Tibetan lamas and taught music in a Jesuit college for boys. On ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Christopher Hegan Believe it or not, I've never had serious writer's block. Something always turns up. Although I must admit I have used a variant of Raymond Chandler's…moreBelieve it or not, I've never had serious writer's block. Something always turns up. Although I must admit I have used a variant of Raymond Chandler's remedy: "When in doubt have a stranger walk into the room with a gun in his hand." In fact, there's one in the first chapter of The Musket Girl. After the band of gun-runners were gone I thought "What can I do to make this more interesting?" So I had the silent, bearded stranger appear, shadowing the gang. Later, to ice the cake, I made him oddly familiar to Winnie.
I honestly had no idea where that was going, but he turned into the pivotal character of ... well, read the book. :)(less)

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Christopher Hegan The greatest thing about being a writer is the total freedom to just make stuff up.There are no rules. No-one can say, "No. You can't have that lake s…moreThe greatest thing about being a writer is the total freedom to just make stuff up.There are no rules. No-one can say, "No. You can't have that lake suddenly freeze, and for the ice to crack in the shape of a lightning bolt."* But you damn well can.
And there's the other great thing about writing. One idea begets another. As I wrote that I thought: Think of some impossible thing. OK. Lake spontaneously freezes.
Then what? OK. Aaah, it cracks in the shape of a lighting bolt. And bang! we're away. Just like that.
What's not to love?(less)

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Combine Editions
Christopher Hegan’s books

Average rating: 4.33 · 9 ratings · 4 reviews · 2 distinct works

	The Musket Girl 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Musket Girl really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

52 posts
Christopher Hegan's Blog

The Foundation of Conscious Thought

I have recently been listening to the BBC’s centennial tribute to WWI, “Tommies”, a drama series partly based on many letters of real people involved in the war. As always when reading or hearing this material I am struck by the eloquence and clarity of the writers, many of whom were educated members of the English-speaking working class. It is said that our average intelligence has been steadily

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Christopher’s Recent Updates

Christopher Hegan wrote a new blog post The Foundation of Conscious Thought I have recently been listening to the BBC’s centennial tribute to WWI, “Tommies”, a drama series partly based on many letters of real people involved Read more of this blog post »
Apr 01, 2026 03:28AM · like
Christopher Hegan rated a book really liked it The Romantic by William Boyd	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Yes, I had to stop reading, almost 80% of the way through. It was just too painful. It should have been called "The Loser" rather than "The Romantic". It is a movingly written, finely drawn picture of a man who is repeatedly presented with opportunit ...more
Mar 29, 2026 08:21PM · like · see review
Christopher Hegan rated a book liked it The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Infuriating, but I have to add: for readers like myself. I'm a practical guy. Partly, I fix stuff for a living. And this book drove me mad because of what I was asked to believe as its first premise, namely that the heroine, Virginia, is a talented l ...more
Dec 12, 2025 05:45PM · like · see review
Christopher Hegan rated a book liked it The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Infuriating, but I have to add: for readers like myself. I'm a practical guy. Partly, I fix stuff for a living. And this book drove me mad because of what I was asked to believe as its first premise, namely that the heroine, Virginia, is a talented l ...more
Dec 11, 2025 09:51PM · like · see review

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