Novels

Novellas/Short stories

Fragments

Non Fiction

The Astonishing Adventures of Captain Juan

Inspiration

About five or six years ago, I and my family were wandering around a shopping centre, when my sister in law asked a question about coconut ice (for those not familiar with this, it is a confectionery made from coconut, condensed milk and sugar - it’s delicious, but that’s another matter…)

For the next hour or so I rambled on and on about the origins of this sweet candy - a shaggy dog story that involved pirates, the discovery of Antarctica, arms smuggling and a Spanish adventurer called Captain Juan. I have no idea where this came from, but without hesitation I launched into this long and intricate story.

That was the start of a strange little habit I’ve picked up. Now, much to the annoyance of everyone who knows me, Captain Juan makes periodic appearances, usually in response to the most innocent of queries.

And thanks to some recent prompting, I've begun to set down some tales about the Captain. The problem is, a larger than life character can sometimes spawn a life of its own, and that is precisely what happened, as the Captain was picked up by others, and the idea built upon...

The book

Current status

The Captain has his own site - The Astonishing Adventures of Captain Juan, a collaborative blog. If you want to join in, drop me a line.