Letters from the Levant

This is the working title for the latest Jack Coffey novel. This is looking like book 5 in the series (The Sandboy was book 7) although this is strictly chronological. The plan, although I'm not sure such a flexible and ill-defined collection of ideas merits the title, is to write books 5-8 first. These cover Jack's mid-life and each story stands by itself. Then the plan is to write books 1-4 which cover Jack's first appearance through to his emergence as a fully independent operator. These flow from one to the next so I really want people to get to know Jack through these four books. They define everything about him. Finally there are two closing books, 9 and 10, which bring a conclusion to Jack's life and times.

Anyhow, what about Letters from the Levant? Well this places Jack in the Mediterranean for the first time as someone with agency. It's a fascinating time in a fascinating region, with the policies of nations clashing head on with the desire of people to trade and prosper. Where pragmatism is the unifying bond that allows the disparate to work as one. And there's plenty of intrigue and action as well.

I'm about a quarter of the way through the initial draft and I'll let you know about progress as it happens.