What is your book The Pharaoh’s Mask about?
It is an Alternative History based adventure story about a wrongly disgraced rifles officer who runs to Egypt with his batman and finds himself embroiled in combat with the cult of the sun god who want to return Amun to earth and enslave mankind. His man turns out to be a mechanical wizard and invents all sorts of gadgets to aid their quest. Then there is the beautiful Fatima, temptress, secret agent and assassin who – well you have to read the book to find out what she does.
What drew you in to the alternative history genre?
Steam is in my blood; my grandfather was a steam engineer and built engines. An age where steam is the main source of power, and the technology has been advanced along with a whole bunch of mechanical gadgets is where I would want to be. I also like the look of pseudo Edwardian dress and have a suit I wear to fancy dress parties.
How did the research for this project look like?
Mainly around the temples of Amun in Egypt and Somalia and the sun god himself. I have been to Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor and find the history interesting. I found more temples over a larger geographical area than I expected.
Have you ever been to Cairo?
Yes twice. Once as a schoolboy and later with my wife when we visited Luxor and Alexandria as well. I also spent a lot of time in the Sinai, scuba diving. I love the desert, it’s fascinating and far more colourful than you would expect.
What makes Charlie the perfect adventurer?
He has an enquiring mind and a touch of greed. He is courageous and loyal a born leader. Because he was a soldier he can rough it with the best of them but he also likes his luxury and isn’t afraid to spend his hard earned cash on that.
Do you and Charlie have more similarities or differences?
He is far tougher than I am and his background is totally different. I think there are more differences than similarities.
If your novel had a theme song, what would it be?
Between me and the Devil by the Ghost Hounds