About AFN Clarke
My life in 3 paragraphs …
Born in Hong Kong to British parents, I’ve lived in many different countries (India, Iran, Libya, UK, USA, Australia), served as an Officer in the British Parachute Regiment, had a near death experience, lost half my insides and recovered from the physical and emotional traumas of war. I’m a proud father of four daughters and have worked in different fields – as a draftsman, trainee computer programmer, designer builder and driver of race cars, pilot and flying school owner, boat skipper, manager of a marine retail store, author and screenwriter. I’ve been happily married for 25 years and love to sail, listen to opera, cook gourmet meals, drink red wine, read good books, have heated discussions and travel off the beaten path. It’s a full life that keeps on giving.
I wrote my first book CONTACT (an autobiography) after leaving the Army having completed 8 years of service in different parts of the world - and after two bloody tours in Northern Ireland that left me with half my guts missing and a long road of physical, mental and emotional recovery. CONTACT was written in three emotional weeks, took two years to publish (1983) and became a huge best seller. It was serialised in a British national newspaper and made into an award-winning film by BBC TV (1984). Forty years later CONTACT the book is still selling strong. The success of the film led to an invitation from Kings Road Entertainment in Hollywood to work as a “script doctor” and the opportunity to write screenplays for various film companies followed.
Writing books, however, remains my passion having published seven other books, novels spanning various genres from politically charged thrillers, suspense and intrigue, humorous satire and books about the challenges of human relationships. All of which emerge from an imagination that never sleeps, the cauldron of my own experiences and my insatiable curiosity about the world we live in. And despite my rantings on infuriating aspects of life, from a strong belief in the overwhelming power of love, laughter and of the human spirit. My desire to write never wanes, with three more books in the works for 2023.
AFN Clarke
Writing to challenge, understand, inspire.
A life lived differently writes its way onto the page …
From the time I could read books became my constant companions and as a young boy I was always curious, relishing new experiences - this curious young boy still lives within and has shaped a life full of rich experiences and intense highs and lows that come with having lived … differently. A life that, as an author, inevitably weaves its way into my books and characters like a whisper on the breeze.
Why I keep writing ...
Apart from driving racing cars, flying aeroplanes, and sailing yachts, in my now later years as an author I feel most at home when immersed in words. Words have meaning, power. They demand respect, as they can create worlds or shatter them. Resonate deep within providing insight and understanding, or plunge you into a new and unknown world, unsettling yet intriguing.
My aim is to create books that entertain, stimulate and inform. That take you on a journey, expand possibilities and fire your imagination. Books that are controversial and different, that push the boundaries both in style and content and keep you intrigued, engaged and wanting more.
Fleeting images of a life lived to the full...
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