British Authors and Reviewers - Fantastic People

The world's foremost authority on all things Zulu came through for me today. With a terrific endorsement, Ian Knight, author of several books on the Zulus and the Anglo-Zulu War, was more than kind in his endorsement. As was a British reviewer from Soldier Magazine and the British Army Review, (an online magazine.)

These two magnificent people proved to me how great the British are. Sure there were times when the British had some problems, but all that is past, and right now I can only comment on my own personal experiences with anyone British. These men had never met me, but they were more than willing to take time out of their busy schedules to help me with the promotion of my book, John Dunn-Heart of a Zulu, which is due to be released in November.

As I reflect on this experience, I must reiterate what I touched on in yesterday's post. It's not the people who know you, who work with you, even those who are related to you who are willing to help you. It's the people who have good hearts. And the people who have good hearts just happen to be British. I'm not saying only British people have good hearts. I am saying that this time, for me, it was British people who stepped up to the plate and delivered.

You see, my John Dunn book takes place in the 1800s, and does not paint the British as peace-loving colonialists. It paints them as they were: Invaders. Conquerors. Sure there were good people in the mix. John Dunn was one of the good ones. He was more interested in living with the Zulus than with the whites, and why shouldn't he be? With the Zulus he lived like a king. He had 50 wives and 120 children. He was the best friend of the Zulu king - treated like royalty.

Yeah, it all came tumbling down. But he survived it. He made the best of it. Did he have to betray the king? Did he have to betray the British? Read the book. You'll find out. I kept the major points true to historical fact. There's some fiction in there, sure. I had to make a female character strong. But since this all happened in the 1800s, there was little mention of women who played major roles. I made Dunn's first wife, Catherine Pierce a strong character with a major role.

I have included in the book a "For the Record" page that sorts out the fiction and clarifies the facts. That way, anyone who really wants to know how this or that really played out will be able to. One thing I didn't mess with was the historical accuracy of the war. All the people and events that had to do with the Anglo-Zulu War are historically accurate. That was too important.

So if you want to read a great adventure based on a true story, read John Dunn - Heart of a Zulu. Look for its release this coming November. And by the way, while you're waiting you can check out Ian Knight's latest book - "Zulu Rising; The Epic Story of iSandlwana and Rorke's Drift." Yesterday and today just happen to be the anniversaries of those battles - the first major battles of the AZW.