John Pennington

I was an avid reader when I was a kid: Enid Blyton, the Hardy Boys, Rick Brant and many others. Later on I became a fan of Graham Greene, John LeCarre and Michael Connelly. Also, in quite a different vein, P.G. Wodehouse.

I always wanted to write and I vaguely recall starting my first novel when I was 6 or 7. I got as far as the first sentence.

I put aside plans to be writer and became a lawyer instead, a profession which also relies on words. My career as a lawyer lasted more than 35 years. During that time, along with raising a family with my wife, Diane, coaching kids’ soccer and teaching occasionally at the University of Victoria and Royal Roads University, I dabbled in writing. I started a couple of novels but never got too far with them.

I started work on what became The Snitch Jacket many years ago. There were long periods when I didn’t do any work on it at all. I decided I would give myself 8 out of ten points for finishing the book, another one point for getting it published and a further point if people liked it. When I finally finished, it was a very satisfying feeling.

Writing The Snitch Jacket involved a lot of research. The novel is set against a background of actual events and I needed to make sure I got the events and the timing right. I plan to describe some of the research in a future note.