Three-book deal for teacher

“I chose to write about the Roman Empire because it is so distant and alien in many ways and yet because of the sources we actually know quite a lot about it,” said Nick.

“Obviously the Roman period covers more than a millennium but I focused on the third century because I was interested in the declining empire and it hasn't received so much attention from writers. I chose 270 AD in particular because of the dramatic reign of Aurelian and the Palmyran revolt of Queen Zenobia.”

Nick took his PGCE course at Exeter in 2000. He spent the past five years teaching history and English at an international school in Warsaw, Poland and was there when The Siege was first published. So what did his students think of an author in their midst?

“I kept it quiet until the last year or so but they were very interested and supportive,” said Nick. “I put a couple of copies in the school library and a few of them bought their own - every little helps!”

Nick has recently returned to his home town of Norwich to concentrate on his books. He’s been writing since his early 20s but put it on hold while he carried out his teacher training.

“I do have very fond memories of the St. Luke's campus and the fellow student-teachers I met,” he said.  

“They were a great bunch and the camaraderie helped us get through a challenging course. I also recall Ted Wragg's lectures, which I always found very helpful and often entertaining.”

There is more information about Nick on his website.