The fascination with history was always part of my growing up – why, I even had a father that was historic. He was already 63 by the time I was born and, as a teenager, it wasn’t always easy having a septuagenarian dad. Friends at school used to ask, ‘why’s your dad so old?’ They were right; in fact, he was so old, Queen Victoria was still on the throne at the time of his birth. He collected medals, a collection I’ve now inherited, and as a boy I was mesmerised by their appearance and the stories that lay behind them. Most had the name and rank of the recipient inscribed on the rim and I dreamt of being like them – a military hero in faraway lands which, given my inherent cowardice, was fanciful to say the least. And from this, I started History In An Hour for my non-fiction history. And, to add to this, I'm the author of four epic historical novels.