The debut novel by John Ogden
Tired of his dead-end factory job, Will - a Durham lad - joins the army where he goes to fight in the “War on Terror”. He becomes a man able to save and take lives until one day his world falls apart. Broken and despairing he meets Jack, another lost soul, in the shadows of Old Portsmouth. Jack, a Scottish painter and once England’s most wanted man, also fought for freedom but his fight was many years ago. As the night passes they tell each other their stories: Jack’s tale of his role in the American War of Independence, and how he almost single-handedly brought it to an early end; Will’s of fighting for freedom in a world which soon forgets the fallen and fractured. The historical fiction novel Paint it Jack is set in Scotland, England, the USA and France of the late 18th century, and Portsmouth, Afghanistan and Durham of the early 21st century; it is a story of hopes, heroes, fear, loss and redemption. From here, either read a taster below, or if you’re ready to buy, please proceed to the Buy page. Thank you.
John Ogden was born and raised in County Durham. On leaving school he worked in a factory spending his evenings playing drums with a number of bands. In his early twenties he headed towards London in search of musical fame and fortune, something which never materialised. He eventually put down his drumsticks and as he was already able to count to four became an accountant. Always fascinated by words he began to write and perform poetry appearing regularly on Vanessa Feltz’s Radio 2 show and at Open Mic sessions. After half a lifetime away he returned to his native North-East in 2022. John now lives with his wife Janet in the beautiful North Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby, where he hopes to add to its considerable stock of stories. Paint it Jack is John’s first book.