T. John Ward

I chose The Artful Dodger as the main protagonist in my first novel because I felt that I once had far more in common with him than I had with young Oliver Twist! Born into poverty, I ran away from home at an early age and indulged in self preservation, just as Jack Dawkins, AKA The Artful Dodger, did. Think about it; Oliver would never have survived on the streets of London if Jack hadn't encountered him. I also wanted to create a Peninsular Wars hero; he eventually emerged in the shape of Sergeant Abel Garnett; and relate the actual experiences of The 50th Regiment of Foot during that bitterly fought campaign. (The Sharpe Appreciation Society highly recommended the limited edition version of the book) Hence my novel, 'Jackanapes - The Artful Dodger and the Hero of the Forlorn Hope'

Fortunately for me, two direct descendents of Charles Dickens, Cedric and Gerald Dickens, both loved the the book, as did many reviewers and readers. I hope it does equally well on Kindle.

My second novel, 'The Levelling Dust', contains elements of my adventurous early life but is not autobiographical. Having seen active service and been part of an elite fighting force, my descriptions of young men engaged in warfare, etc are authentic as are the many locations from the green and pleasant Sussex countryside in the 1950's to the barren and inhospitable, Nullarbor Plains of South Australia. Some of the colourful characters who appear in 'The Levelling Dust' are based on people I've known - but not enough to get sued! I have good reason to believe in the theme of the book, 'There is no armour against fate'. But that, my friends, readers and fellow writers is, as they say, another story.