Books
Here you'll find my books, all available through major bookshops & on-line through Amazon
This is the story of two individuals, Chris Nielson and Jane Murphy, who are in full mid-life crisis. Now, both in the forties, they realise they must grab life before it's too late. Due to a foolhardy decision, however, they find themselves caught up in the grubby world of child-trafficking and are thrown together in their efforts to save Eva, a young refugee, from a criminal gang. Not always sure which side of the law they (or the people they meet) are on, their friendship strengthens, slowly developing into a deeper relationship. Though the themes are, at times, dark, this is a feel-good story, sprinkled with humour, supported by strong female characters and a fast-paced mystery adventure.
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Chaos and Coincidence in Contemporary Spanish Fiction
This book is an investigation of contemporary Spanish fiction, specifically a group of fictional texts (written and film) that appeared in Spain in the first decade of this century (2001- 2010). The author focuses on textual analysis and studies how chaos and coincidence appear in these narratives and shape them. The texts analyzed are Soldados de Salamina (2001) by Javier Cercas, Tu rostro manaña (2002-2007) by Javier Marías, La catedral del mar (2006) by Ildefonso Falcones, Volver (2006) directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Instrucciones para salvar el mundo (2008) by Rosa Montero and El asedio (2010) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, with reference to other texts by these authors also included. Though very different storytellers, these authors share an interest in chaos as a theme and as a narrative device. This work shows that the recurrence in their stories of the theme of chaos indicates a move away from postmodern apathy to a growing sense of empowerment, both for characters and for their readers.
Treasure Trove
Ana Donnelly has agreed to help her Irish grandfather, Peter, to right a wrong he committed in his youth when fighting with the International Brigades in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War. What starts as a simple undertaking becomes complicated when she discovers that others are intent on preventing her from fulfilling her promise. Who should Ana trust? Is Jaime, her newly found cousin, really what he seems to be? Or is his involvement more sinister? As Ana negotiates her way through complicated relationships, she finds comfort in thinking about her grandfather's story. Remembering his voice, as he explained how he met her Spanish grandmother and how their lives were shaped by his one moment of wrongdoing, strengthens Ana’s resolve to carry out her mission to the end, regardless of the dangerous consequences that follow her even when she returns home to Australia.
Fictional Portrayals of Spain’s Transition to Democracy
This manuscript looks at a selection of narratives published in Spain during the transition to democracy and compares them with more recent publications. The main focus here is how fiction brings an extra dimension to the recreation of the past, by adding imagination to historical fact. One effect of this is to challenge readers or spectators to question the effect the reliability of the narrator has on conviction about the events told. By using a specific moment in time, Spain’s Transition, it will be seen that memory, history and imagination all blend together to create very different stories, but all are linked with the idea that the past will always haunt the present and actions from the past will have far-reaching consequences. Texts analysed here include work by Javier Cercas, Eduardo Mendoza, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Rosa Montero, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, and Gonzalo López Alba, as well as episodes from two popular TV series, Cuéntame cómo pasó and Protagonistas de la Transición.
Telling Tales
This volume delves deeply into the role played by stories and storytelling in shaping, controlling and mapping present-day Spain, and examines fiction in various manifestations and genres, especially written and filmic. It contrasts such stories and their context with the past, investigating the differences and similarities between spatially and geographically varying narrations in order to tease out the link between the time of telling and the act of living. Throughout the book, scholars look separately at this phenomenon, and their findings reveal a close bond between events occurring in the real world and the relating of fictional stories. Particularly in Spain, the geographic space of interest here, storytelling is used both as catharsis and didactically. Authors and filmmakers find inspiration in everyday occurrences, and, while there is nothing unusual in that, the interest here lies in the consequent transformation of these occurrences into fascinating stories that attempt to make sense of chaotic events, connect those events temporally, and explore the meaning of the consequent coherence. Stories are at the very essence of humanity, be they fictional or based on everyday reality. This collection focuses specifically on Spain where easily identifiable features of history (such as the Spanish Civil War, the Franco Dictatorship, transition, democracy, and the global economic crisis) have had a major impact on everyday life. The narratives emerging show clear evidence of that impact, with an emphasis on such themes as the significance of memory, the impossibility and instability of such memory, the chaotic nature of life, and the place of the nation/state in the psyche of the individual, with emerging themes investigating the role of solidarity and empathy in the empowerment of the individual. This volume is informed by the shift that occurred in the twentieth century towards a world of unstable parameters, whereby whatever knowledge that is received must be questioned as to the extent of its authenticity since that knowledge is always affected by memory, experience, and time, all subjective phenomena in themselves.
Arturo Pérez-Reverte: Narrative Tricks and Narrative Strategies
The writings of Arturo Pérez-Reverte, one of Spain's most renowned contemporary authors, have been described as a minefield. This monograph examines the complexities behind the narrative technique employed in creating such a minefield, including an analysis of the role played by both male and female characters, the relevance of the past as a motif, and aspects of the role of storytelling in creating mystery where none should exist. Both Revertian novelsand journalistic writing are seen to be part of an over-all game which is played between their author and his readers. Film, too, forms part of the material reviewed as, though Pérez-Reverte is not a script writer, many films have been based on his novels. The text-centred analysis concludes that the themes of interest in all Revertian output revolve around two main areas: the significance of the past, whether historical, cultural, or literary, and the role of the written word in communicating, in rescuing and in challenging versions of that past in order to combat what Pérez-Reverte terms 'dismemory'.
