You probably know me as the Guy Who Writes About Canada, and for good reason. I do. I’ve written about Canadian technology and the future of this great country. But behind the scenes, I’ve spent the past two years working on something very different: my first novel.

This is a historical fiction novel based on real events that took place during the Battle of Britain. It is summer, 1940, and England stands alone. The European continent has just been conquered by the dark armies of Hitler’s Nazi empire. England is next. But Hitler must first take control of the skies over England for his invasion fleet to cross the Channel and march on London. The only thing stopping him is a small group of Royal Air Force fighter pilots.

Into the fray is one squadron of rogue Canadian pilots, No.242 squadron, aka “The Canadians.” This squadron is led by the double-amputee British fighter ace Douglas Bader, who will whip them into shape in time to meet the Nazi onslaught.

It’s a compelling true story and I’ve told it through the eyes of real people, such as Bader himself, and a couple of fictional characters I created. My goal was to create a fictional account of the real events through highly-emotional human storytelling.

The first draft two took years to research and write. The second draft came in a single burst of late nights in Montreal, where for seven days and nights I lived on smoked meat sandwiches and wrote and revised and paced back and forth and experienced Eureka moments and moments of imposter syndrome alike. The third draft to finalize little things here and there took a couple of months.

Now, I’m actively submitting it to Canadian publishers. I really hope it finds its place in the world.

I’ve been fascinated by the Battle of Britain since I was thirteen. My mother is English, an emigrant to Canada from across the pond in the 1960s. I was raised on the stories and food and culture of England. I’ve visited England and I’ve watched Hurricanes and Spitfires roar overhead at air shows. But it wasn’t until recently that I came across the story of No. 242 Squadron. I thought I had known it all.

This novel is a fictional retelling of that chapter in history. It features young Canadians far from home, a dynamic figure who lives with a disability, a woman who is just as important to the defence of England as the men in the cockpits, and an aging commander who should have retired years ago.

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