David Makinson

David Makinson

About

I'm 46, married to Chris and we live in Bolton, Lancashire with my son Giles (17). I was thrilled to publish my first novel, Just a One Night Stand in March 2010. Other than writing and reading, I love cooking, fine wines and music -  I play the keyboards and piano. My other love is cricket. When time allows, I like to spend time at the family apartment in Portugal - a great place to write.

A King Under Siege

A King Under Siege

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Description

<p><span style="color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Richard II found himself under siege not once, but twice in his minority. Crowned king at age ten, he was only fourteen when the Peasants' Revolt terrorized London. But he proved himself every bit the Plantagenet successor, facing Wat Tyler and the rebels when all seemed lost. Alas, his triumph was short-lived, and for the next ten years he struggled to assert himself against his uncles and increasingly hostile nobles. Just like in the days of his great-grandfather Edward II, vengeful magnates strove to separate him from his friends and advisors, and even threatened to depose him if he refused to do their bidding. The Lords Appellant, as they came to be known, purged the royal household with the help of the Merciless Parliament. They murdered his closest allies, leaving the King alone and defenseless. He would never forget his humiliation at the hands of his subjects. Richard's inability to protect his adherents would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he vowed that next time, retribution would be his.</span><br /><span class="a-text-bold" style="color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;">B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree!</span></p>

Story Behind The Book

I was born in the mid 1960s and spent the first year of my life in the care of Dr Barnardo's. The subject of adoption and how attitudes towards unmarried mothers have changed since the 1960s have, perhaps not surprisingly, always been of particular interest to me. What fascinated me about writing this book was the research into the social attitudes during the period from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, an era that occupied a curious twilight between the stiff conservatism of the 1950s and the well documented liberal hedonism of the late 1960s. Just a One Night Stand will deftly transport you back to 1963. Using youth culture and the social mores of the time, the book paints a vivid and thought provoking picture of the difficulties faced by a young unmarried mother as she discovers she is pregnant after a one night stand. You'll be glad that the world has moved on.

Reviews

<h5 align="left">&quot;Just finished your book, I couldn't put it down once I started reading it, was sorry to come to the end. Can't wait for the next one.&quot; Debra Baldwin<br /><br />&quot;I read a book a week. This is the best I've read so far this year.&quot; Gillian Duncan (June 2010)<br /><br /><br />&quot;To be honest I can't really say that I read it because actually I devoured it in 2 days. I tend not to be able to read a book at 'the not being able to put it down' speed unless I am on holiday and without the distractions of family and housekeeping/restoring or it has content that really captures my imagination and interest. I loved it.&quot;  Pat Kitchen<br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;"><br />&quot;Read your book on holiday.  I liked it.  It ‘stayed with me’ for a few days afterwards.  You painted a vivid picture of the era; a simpler age filled with complication of things not mentioned&quot;. Nick Davies</span><br /><br /><span><a href="http://www.davidmakinson.com/books.html">http://www.davidmakinson.com/books.html</a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></h5>