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The Book
1643. The
armies of King Charles I and Parliament clash in the streets and fields of
England, threatening to tear the country apart, as winter closes in around the
parliamentary stronghold of Nantwich. The royalists have pillaged the town
before, and now, they are returning. But even with weeks to prepare before the
Civil War is once more at its gates, that doesn’t mean the people of Nantwich
are safe.
While the
garrison of soldiers commanded by Colonel George Booth stand guard, the town’s
residents wait, eyeing the outside world with unease, unaware that they face a
deadly threat from within. Townspeople are being murdered – the red sashes of
the royalists left on the bodies marking them as traitors to the parliamentary
cause.
When the
first dead man is found, his skull caved in with a rock, fingers start being
pointed, and old hatreds rise to the surface. It falls to Constable Daniel
Cheswis to contain the bloodshed, deputising his friend, Alexander Clowes, to
help him in his investigations, carried out with the eyes of both armies on his
back. And they are not the only ones watching him.
He is
surrounded by enemies, and between preparing for the imminent battle, watching
over his family, being reunited with his long-lost sweetheart, and trying,
somehow, to stay in business, he barely has time to solve a murder.
With few
clues and the constant distraction of war, can Cheswis protect the people of
Nantwich? And which among them need protecting? Whether they are old friends or
troubled family, in these treacherous times, everyone’s a traitor, in war, law,
or love.
When the
Winter Siege is through, who will be among the bodies?
October 1, 2013 | Electric Reads | Paperback; 488p |ISBN-10: 149279571
Get the book! | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble
5 Questions for D.W.
What
has been your greatest challenge as a writer? Have you been able to overcome
it?
I
spent the last twenty five years of my life editing and publishing business
magazines for the tire industry, which, of course, is entirely different style
of writing from that required to write a novel. When I decided to write The
Winter Siege one of the main motivations was to see how easy I would find
it to use the skills I’d picked up over the years in a way I wasn’t used to. I
found my experience as a journalist/publisher helpful in terms of planning and
structuring the novel. Adapting my writing style became easier the more I
wrote. As to whether I managed to overcome this challenge, that, of course, is
for the reader to decide!
Do you
have to be alone or have quiet to write?
Absolutely,
I can do research work when other people are around but I need to have quiet
when I’m actually writing so I can immerse myself in the scene. I usually shut
myself away in our conservatory which is nice and peaceful and overlooks our
back garden.
What
type of hero do you like best?
I
think it’s important for the main character to be believable. I tried to make
Daniel Cheswis a character that people could identify with and want to succeed,
but he’s not perfect. He is somewhat reserved, wants to please too many people
at times and has some obsessive-compulsive traits. He also compromises himself
professionally out of misguided loyalty to one of his friends. I think if the
reader can see the flaws in the hero’s character and watch him overcome them
that can ultimately make the reader identify closer with the hero.
What
appeals to you most about your chosen genre?
The
nature of history fascinates me because it consists of a series of eye-witness
accounts of events related by people who may be biased in their viewpoint or
have political agendas of their own. After a while these eye-witness accounts
can become the accepted truth. For example, can we really be sure that King
Harold was shot in the eye at the Battle of Hastings or do we just believe that
because of the Bayeux Tapestry? Was Richard III really a ruthless tyrant or did
he get an undeserved bad press due to the Tudor propaganda machine? I think
history creates myriad opportunities for the novelist to create scenarios that
challenge the reader’s accepted view of history.
What
is your favorite scene in The Winter Siege?
I
enjoyed writing the Beeston Castle scene because it allowed me to run away with
my imagination a little. The idea that nine men can break into an apparently
impregnable castle by climbing up a sheer rock face in the middle of a winter’s
night and then overcome the inhabitants is a gripping story, and one which
really happened, although history does not tell us exactly how they managed it,
and whether treachery was involved. One of the things I enjoyed most about
writing the book was being to take real events and portray them in detail,
whilst simultaneously offering an alternative view of what might, or could have
happened. The reader’s task is to work out what is real history and what is
fiction.
Meet and
Connect with the Author
D.W. Bradbridge was born in 1960 and grew
up in Bolton. He has lived in Crewe, Cheshire since 2000, where he and his wife
run a small magazine publishing business for the automotive industry.
“The inspiration for The Winter Siege
came from a long-standing interest in genealogy and local history. My research
led me to the realisation that the experience endured by the people of Nantwich
during December and January 1643-44 was a story worth telling. I also realised
that the closed, tension-filled environment of the month-long siege provided
the ideal setting for a crime novel.
“History is a fascinating tool for the
novelist. It consists only of what is remembered and written down, and
contemporary accounts are often written by those who have their own stories to
tell. But what about those stories which were forgotten and became lost in the
mists of time?
“In writing The Winter Siege, my aim was
to take the framework of real history and fill in the gaps with a story of what
could, or might have happened. Is it history or fiction? It’s for the reader to
decide.”
For more information please visit D.W.
Bradbridge’s website. You
can also find him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
