Charles Pack

FRA was conceived under pressure as homework at the Marlborough Summer School's "Creative Writing" Course. Tasked to write the first three pages of his first novel (thanks Fleur!) overnight, inspiration came quickly in the form of the bully from Thomas Hughes’s “Tom Brown Schooldays” and George MacDonald Fraser's eponymous hero – Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC.

In the same vein that Robert Brightwell has since captured the exploits of Thomas Flashman, the original Flashman’s uncle, in his fine series of books, Roly Flashman, grandson of the original Flashman was born. Hardly the proverbial ‘chip off the old block’, Roly strives to overcome difficult odds, prick the oversized egos of others and, all the while, enjoy life!

Charlie Pack's eloquent descriptive in Flashman Rides Again (FRA) are borne of personal knowledge of the places that Roly Flashman visits in his novel. An unusually varied career has meant that the he has been able to draw upon the many experiences, home and overseas, in an eclectic variety of professions, as a soldier, banker, pilot, investigator, fruit processor, insurer and event organiser (to name but a few).

There is one soldier, in particular, whom CIP has had in mind when writing this book. No longer with us, this book is written in tribute to him and on behalf of his son, CIP’s godson.

Charlie Pack now lives in Hampshire with his wife (Fan) where their lives entwine with their family of three sons and their friends.