Dust In the Blood - Book Signing

Meet author Mike Atherton and hear about his new book 'Dust in the Blood'.
2pm-5pm

Come along from 2pm to meet the author of the book 'Dust in the Blood' Mike Atherton.

After speeches and introductions, Mike will read the first chapter of the book followed by a chance to ask questions and chat to the man himself.

A brief introduction to the book 'Dust in the Blood':

"A story set in a post WW1 coal mine. Set in Lancashire there s a catastrophic collapse with men trapped underground. There is little hope of their survival but these men are ex tunnelers.

They have survived a war that killed millions and then a flu epidemic that killed millions more. It didn’t kill these ten and they don’t intend to die underground.

Above ground they have a sympathetic mine owner who is conscientious of the plight of his workers.

Outside the gates, revolution is in the air and Communism is growing fast.

They see this as an opportunity to strike fear into the business owners and make them pay for all their past misdemeanours. However, they are in for a surprise because in the depths of a society that is torn and recovering from the battles fought in France and Belgium there is a new battle to be fought and that is about to ensure these men stuck deep underground are given every chance to survive.

This is a mining community and it doesn’t like being told what to do. This isn’t a political fight, its personal. Dust in the Blood is the story of that fight. A community sticking together in a world that seems determined to tear itself apart."

ABOUT the author:

Mike Atherton is a retired army nurse but has now become an established author living in the idyllic countryside with his wife and dogs near Doncaster.

Mike is a northern lad who was brought up with a very strong military family history. His grandfathers, father and brother all served in the British Army.

His mother was a nurse so it was no surprise when Mike joined the Army as a trainee nurse in 1978. Everyone expected him to do just that.

Having served a long and eventful career in the army as a military nurse where he specialised in Orthopaedics, Mike eventually retired from the army in 2004 to settle down with his wife Di and their family of Bernese mountain dogs.

His passion for the Great War started at an early age and his middle name follows a family tradition of naming the boys after the great uncles who served in WW1. He is named Michael Charles after his Great Uncle who fell in Flanders in 1915. In Mike his memory lives on.

Mike's only son went on to follow in his fathers footsteps as a nurse but decided against a career in the military.

Writing his first novel "The Long Shot"in 2014 came as much as a surprise to him as to those around him. However, it surprised no one who read it that the story of two opposing snipers in World War One became a bestseller.

The much anticipated sequel "A Shot From The Shadows" was released in March 2016. This second book also cleared the shelves.

​Demand was so high for more that now there is "An Echo In Time"a prequel and an ending to the trilogy. All three books are stand alone in their own right, but together they tell the full story.

​Now, it’s time for a new chapter and "Dust In The Blood" sees us in 1919 and the coal mines of Lancashire.

For more information visit http://www.ncm.org.uk/