Saturday, the second day of July, in the year of our Lord, 1644, will be a day long remembered by the men and women committed to ending the reign of a tyrannical King. For on this day, the forces of Charles the First were crushed on the bloody fields of Marston Moor.
The calamitous defeat forces the increasingly desperate Royalists to intensify their attempts to bring about the immediate demise of their Parliamentarian enemies. This includes devising an audacious plan to assassinate the man they believe is key to the war’s outcome.
With the plotters ready to strike, Francis Hacker, one of Parliament’s most loyal soldiers, becomes aware of the conspiracy. With little time to act, he does everything in his power to frustrate their plans. But, alas, things start to unravel when brave Hacker finds himself pitted against a ruthless and cunning mercenary, a man who will resort to anything to achieve a ‘kill’.
What inspired you to start writing?
In my 20s I played rugby to a decent standard, so would often read match reports in the media about the games I played in. One day, I thought ‘I can write better than that’ – and, over dinner with my girlfriend’s family (who became my wife), my future Mother-in-Law encouraged me to contact my local paper to see if the Editor would meet me and give me some tips about becoming a reporter.
So I did. I wrote a letter to the paper and, to my surprise, got an immediate response which invited me to not only meet the Editor, but have a job interview. It turned out the paper concerned was looking for a ‘cub’ reporter and I had written at just the right time. Within less than 10 days of sending in my speculative letter, I had the job!
As for writing books, I have a friend in the US to thank for this. She had been nagging me for over a decade to put pen to paper and start writing something. So, I did. And 12 months later, Rebellion – the first book in the Hacker Chronicles series – was born. Redemption is the sequel. Both are very different to what my friend envisaged at the outset. But without her encouragement I would have never taken the plunge.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
To be honest, getting through the pandemic and moving house in the middle of the writing process turned out to be the greatest obstacles. It meant almost five months were wiped out. Thankfully, all is now good and life has returned to near normality.
As far as the writing is concerned (and because I am quite disciplined and structured), the daily process authorship was not taxing at all. Indeed, it was wonderful to be able to immerse myself in the world of seventeenth-century Britain and forget, albeit temporarily, the woes of the 21st century.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
I suppose it would have to be Isabelle Hacker, who was married to Francis Hacker (my principal character). She was a remarkable woman in every way – and incredibly loyal to the man she devoted her life to.
While researching her character, I discovered an awful lot about Isabelle. Official documents of the time, and anecdotal accounts, painted a wonderful picture of her life and the impact she had on the people of Nottinghamshire. Strong, determined, loving, beautiful, and a wonderful person, she reminds me greatly of my own wife. So, for this very reason, she is my number one character, albeit I write less about her in Redemption than I did in Rebellion. I will have to address the balance in the third book of the series (Regicide) which I have just started to write.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
This is an easy question to answer.
The truth is I don’t think I would ever want someone to interpret my books and turn them into a motion picture. I am quite satisfied with the stories sitting in print format and staying there. The big screen may be wonderful for someone’s ego (and possibly their bank balance), but it can often lead to your work being ruined by a third party. So, I am afraid it’s a non-starter for me.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
Francis Hacker has had a tremendous impact on me – as has the age he lived in. Therefore, my greatest hope is for a reader to ‘get’ what Francis is all about. His faith and utter reliance on God was something that was with him throughout his life, and his beliefs dictated his behaviours. This doesn’t mean he lived a perfect life; far from it. Francis was a deeply flawed man, as we all are, yet he tried to be a just and compassionate soul, even though the three civil wars tested his values to the limit.
It would please me greatly if readers felt closer to Francis by the time they have digested the book and understood what drove him to make the momentous decisions he made.
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Philip Yorke
Redemption, the second book in the series, is set during the period 1644-46 (during the first English Civil War), when events take a significant turn in favour of Parliament.
Philip is married, and he and his wife have five children. He enjoys relaxing to classical music, reading the works of Nigel Tranter, Bernard Cornwell, Robyn Young and CJ Sansom, and supporting Hull City FC and Leicester Tigers RFC.
He lives in Leicestershire, England.
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