Paul Dowswell

If you're here, you probably already know I'm a writer. My specialities are historical fiction and information books.

I write

• mainly for 10+ to teenage and adult readers,
• on a whole range of different subjects (see the page on Published Books for a full and frank exposé),

My book Ausländer, about a teenager in Berlin during the war, came out in 2009. Published in eight different languages, it’s been shortlisted for 20 book awards and has taken me all over the UK, and also to Europe and Australia.

Following Ausländer, I wrote Cabinet of Curiosities, a story set in Renaissance Prague featuring large doses of alchemy, skulduggery and the Inquisition. My sixth historical novel for Bloomsbury, Sektion 20, about teenagers in Cold War Berlin, was published in September, 2011. These three novels have a common theme – their heroes and heroines all face political or religious extremism.

My latest book, Eleven Eleven, is about three combatants who are thrown together on the last day of the First World War. It is published in October 2012.

Please see the heading ‘Schools and Festivals’ below, if you would like me to visit your school to talk about my books.

Previous to these three novels, I wrote a critically acclaimed trio of stories set in the early 19th Century about boy sailor Sam Witchall. The first book is called Powder Monkey and it was published in October, 2005. The second book in the series, Prison Ship, takes Sam to Australia. The final book, Battle Fleet, climaxes with the Battle of Trafalgar.

About me

I've worked in publishing for over twenty five years. I went freelance in 1999 after eight years with Usborne, where I was a senior editor. Before that I worked for Time-Life, BBC Books, the Science Museum and the National Sound Archive.

History is my specialist subject but I also enjoy writing about natural history, science, geography, in fact almost anything, apart from golf and mechanical engineering. I have a shamefully encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music, and have presented occasional programmes on local radio station WCR 101.8 FM.

I’ve written over 60 books for UK publishers. Most of them have been published in the United States, Commonwealth countries, Europe and elsewhere. If you’d like to follow up what I did before Powder Monkey I could recommend any of the books from Usborne’s Newspaper History series (such as the Egyptian Echo and Roman Record ). These mix historical fact with spoof adverts and rabid tabloid journalism and have been a success with both adults and younger readers. Usborne’s True Stories series are real-life-adventure page-turners and two of them have been shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award. A couple in the series cover the two world wars (True Stories of the First World War, True Stories of the Second World War,) as does the beautifully designed Usborne Introduction to the Second World War .

I grew up in Chester and escaped to read History at London University (Goldsmiths’ College 1975-1978). After 15 years in London, I moved to Wolverhampton, where I live with my wife and daughter. I also play with a variety of bands in the pubs and clubs of the West Midlands. (Please see music page for more details.)

Schools and Festivals

I enjoy schools visits, festivals and library conferences. I’ve talked about my books on Radio 4, in schools all over the UK, and in Europe and Australia. I’ve also appeared at the Edinburgh, Cheltenham and Hay Book Festivals.

Over the summer of 2011 I visited Western Australia to be writer in residence at Christ Church Grammar School, in Perth. Closer to home, I have also worked as writer in residence with St Peter’s Collegiate School in Wolverhampton.

Over 2011 I helped devise and present Warwick University’s Young Researchers Programme – designed to get school pupils interested in writing, researching, and ultimately, going to University.

I give illustrated talks on the following books:

• Powder Monkey. Sam Witchall and the terrifying life of a boy in Nelson’s navy.
• Ausländer. Peter Bruck and life for teenagers in Nazi Germany.
• Sektion 20. Alex Ostermann and life for teenagers in Communist East Berlin.

I have a talk lined up on ‘Eleven/Eleven’ (to be published in autumn 2012) about the First World War.

I also do Primary and Secondary school writing workshops on the following subjects:

• Turning Fact into Fiction
• First Steps in Creative Writing
• Keeping Your Reader Reading
• Creating Characters
• A Sense of Place
• What is Bad Writing and how to Avoid It
• Writing for Newspapers.

Following a five year stint teaching a course in writing children's picture books at the Midlands Arts Centre (mac) in Birmingham, I now take workshops for festivals or writers’ groups on creative writing, writing children’s books and historical fiction.

Please contact me directly at paul@pauldowswell.co.uk if you would like to know more about my school talks and workshops.

Agent

I am represented by Charlie Viney of The Viney Agency.  charlie@thevineyagency.com
T: +44 (0)20 7732 3331 
M: +44 (0)7734 072044.

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[ Contact me - paul@pauldowswell.co.uk]

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