Launch events for ‘Wicked’ confirmed, details soon. Many focus on how the Newcastle witch trial and the 1650s more generally are so intimately entwined with the forging of the modern world, which we now sense to be slipping away into something unsettlingly new. November 21st.

A chill early morning under the Haar, resonant of the opening scene of ‘Wicked’. ‘Abigail’s fitted boots slid upon the worn stone of the steps. Winter had, once again, come on early. Under a quarter moon, the damp already threatened to turn to frost. She skidded and came close

Cromwell, Scotland & Tyneside. The Archer series tracks the intense ties between north England & Scotland. Newcastle supplied Cromwell’s occupying army. Pricker John Kincaid brought the Borders witch hunt south. The Dunbar prisoners suffered and died between Berwick and Durham.

“I highly recommend this book to history lovers and fans of cleverly written mysteries” Thank you so much Valeriya Salt for this thrilling review of ‘Wicked’. It is so lovely to see a fellow writer really understand and enjoy the book.

The fixer moved closer to Archer, face newly drawn. ‘I’m sorry for you, James. What they’ve done and for it to be a Scot who did it, I’m ashamed, I am.’ ‘What do you mean? I know that she lives. Davey, tell me that Meg is alive.

Great thanks to the wonderful booksellers from the Humber to Orkney who are the most recent to have ordered in ‘The Wicked Of The Earth’ pre-launch. Busy Autumn coming. Roanna Blackwell's Edinburgh Grace @adventureintobooks Blairgowrie Kate @orcadian_bookshop Lucy The Beverley Bookshop

11th September 1650, 3,500 Scottish prisoners, taken in Cromwell’s victory at Dunbar, enter Durham Cathedral. Soon, half will perish in the primitive conditions. Hundreds more are condemned to a slow death by indentured servitude in Tyneside’s salt, linen & coal industries.

Excited to announce ‘The Wicked Of The Earth’ Newcastle Castle Dungeon Launch Event. Limited tickets available. eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-wicked-o… @Eventbrite

Friday 22nd Nov. 6.30pm, larger launch event now added for ‘The Wicked Of The Earth’, the limited capacity Dungeon event having rapidly all but ‘sold out’ (tickets are free, but registration needed). Come to The Black Gate to uncover Newcastle Castle’s most horrific secret.

“God damn me. God confound me. I burn! I burn!” Reported as coming from the steeple of St. Peter’s Church, Drogheda, 11th Sept. 1649, when set alight by the English soldiery. James Archer is promoted in the field by Cromwell himself, only to emerge pursued by hellish visions.

Fornal launch events already booked out, but delighted to be speaking Old Low Light 💙 in North Shields on 19th Nov. Former home turf, which feels very special. Please support this great heritage centre & get the chance to pick up an early copy of ‘Wicked’. oldlowlight.co.uk/event/heritage…

Brilliant, breathless month of bookseller visits and launch event finalising, with thanks to so many, but lovely to get back to research and calmer, not snatched, writing. Mary W. Craig ‘Borders Witch Hunt’ a fantastic resource - does the pricker reappear? ‘Jerusalem Staggers’.

The OBR forecast of national debt trebling ought to be the central fact of political thinking and debate. Instead for Keir Starmer and the Cabinet 2024, read Cromwell and the Council of State 1651. Tom McTague utterly on point yet again. “In the end, the authority, the leader,

‘A perfect blend of character and historical fiction.’ I was so pleased to receive Andy’s enthusiastic review of ‘Wicked’, and particularly his enjoyment of James Archer.

It is the courage of the Newcastle accused, along with the mass, all-female campaign to save them, that is grabbing bookseller and reviewer attention. That, and a Scottish witch pricker come south. A piece of true cross-border history from which we can take both pride and pause.

A selection of the latest bookshops to stock ‘The Wicked Of The Earth’ for release. Thanks to so many booksellers for all of your support. Close to home at 1bBooks Heaton, formerly home ground @anewleafbookshop Slaithwaite, the amazing Topping & Company Booksellers of Edinburgh and lovely @tackleandbooks

“In the mood for a historical thriller and I picked this gem up…perfect for fans of Andrew Taylor and C. J. Sansom, this book is a must-read.” Wonderful, incisive thoughts on on ‘Wicked’ from @nessas_book_reviews on Goodreads, Instagram & BookTok

This would be money very well spent. The offer window for is closing soon and I would urge everyone to reserve a copy while they can. It’s full of fascinating, well-researched pieces, alongside some bloke banging on about the Newcastle witch trial.