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Christopher Hegan

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Christopher Hegan

Goodreads Author


Born
in Auckland, New Zealand
Website

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Member Since
January 2015


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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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)
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)
Average rating: 4.33 · 9 ratings · 4 reviews · 2 distinct works
The Musket Girl

4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions
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The Musket Girl

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2013
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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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Published on March 31, 2026 16:15

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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 »
Christopher Hegan rated a book really liked it
The Romantic by William  Boyd
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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
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The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister
The Arctic Fury
by Greer Macallister (Goodreads Author)
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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
Christopher Hegan rated a book liked it
The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister
The Arctic Fury
by Greer Macallister (Goodreads Author)
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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
More of Christopher's books…
64233 Addicted to YA — 66231 members — last activity 3 hours, 40 min ago
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put bac ...more
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