I am a Northumbrian, from a long line of artisans.  My father and grandfather we fascinated by the history of the border region and Scottish Highlands and so I acquired my own passion via genetics. I have been travelling these regions since boyhood, walking over them, writing about them, teaching about them and conducting history tours around them for several decades.   Originally, I practised as a lawyer and was first published in 1988. I left the law to write full time in 2003. For over 25 years I taught military history as a visiting lecturer and Newcastle (later Sunderland) Universities School of Lifelong Learning (now the Explore Programme).   Now I am extensively published on military history with a batch of titles on medieval and Tudor history and on both world wars. I have been married for 45 years, live in Mid-Northumberland and I have two married daughters.