I am a firm believer that a bookshelf should be eclectic. Lots of different genres, and for historical fiction, lots of different eras (‘Eras’ is that a good name for this tour? Could work).

That’s why my bookshelf ranges from Conn Iggulden’s Stormbird which is set in the Wars of the Roses, to Wild Talent by Wilson Tucker set in the 1950s, by way of the Flashman novels of George Macdonald Fraser, which take us through the Victorian era through the antics of the eponymous anti-hero. You’ll see my treasured copy of Wild Talent is nestled next to Legacy by Susan Kay – the biopic of Queen Elizabeth I, which is so well-read that it’s virtually falling apart. I can highly recommend both these books; Wilson Tucker’s Wild Talent tells the story of a young lad growing up in 40s and 50s USA who has psychic and telekinetic powers, and gets recruited by the CIA to be a super-spy. It’s sort-of a precursor to the X Men / Mutants stories, and well worth seeking out if you can find a copy. Susan Kay’s Legacy is an excellent tale of the life of England’s best-known Queen – combining such a flowing narrative with the known facts of her life, that you feel you really know her. I certainly drew on this knowledge when writing The Alchemist’s Arms and The Sovereign’s Secret, both of which feature Elizabeth in her public and private moments.

As a writer in the Tudor era, you’ll not be surprised to see the range of books set in the period – from the selection of Philippa Gregorys, to Ken Follet’s Column of Fire (which I seem to have in both hard and paperback – how did that happen?) and most, if not all, of the Shardlake novels of C. J. Sansom.

I am also a fan of the action adventure stories of Dick Francis – most of which I have read and re-read many times. My father was the original fan, and he used to buy the new Dick Francis when each one came out. He’d read it, then solemnly pass it on to me. I love the way each one combines the world of horse-racing with some other theme (photography / film-making / wine / kidnapping / etc, etc), yet every story is in essence, the same plot: 30-something guy with some connection to horse-racing is trying to live his life, when an unknown baddie throws a spanner in the works, and the guy now has to fight back. I’m not much of a fan of horse-racing, but I do love the action-adventure genre. They say you should write the book you want to read – and my own adventures can trace a direct line back to Dick Francis.

Final thought; I’m not a fan of bookshelves that bow under the weight of all the books – hence the fascia strips on the shelves. They, together with additional wood strips behind them, are supposed to prevent this happening. And they look good too!