Timothy Ashby

I explore the nuances of history through fiction and non-fiction. Visit my web site at www.timashbybooks.com. I've always had a passion for history … and adventure. My formative years were spent on the Caribbean island of Grenada, where I rarely attended school, spending my days indulging in archaeology, sailing, diving and exploring. I spent my 21st birthday partying at the British Army’s Jungle Warfare Training camp – “Hummingbird Cottage” in Belize, and later I held a Top Secret security clearance while working throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations with the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). To the surprise of family and friends (not to mention myself), I eventually added the alphabet soup of PhD, JD and MBA after my name, became a senior official in the US government, and spent the following years as an international lawyer and entrepreneur, during which time I rose early and spent weekends to indulge another passion - writing. During that time, I published four books and over 100 articles including scholarly pieces on Caribbean colonial history - “Fedon’s Rebellion” (Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research 1984) [link] -and Scottish history - “Walsingham and the Witch: England´s Failed Attempt to Pacify King James VI” (History Scotland, August-September 2021) [link]. I also wrote for the Harvard International Review, The New York Times, US Naval Institute Proceedings and the RUSI Journal. I'm now devoting 100 percent of my time to building my literary career. My narrative non-fiction biography, Elizabethan Secret Agent: The Untold Story of William Ashby (1536-1593) will be released in hardback on 30 March 2022 by Scotland Street Press, Edinburgh (www.scotlandstreetpress.com). I have just completed The King´s Black Ranger, an Action/Adventure novel set in the 18th century featuring a mixed-raced hero who overcomes overwhelming obstacles to succeed as a British military officer - think of a black "Sharpe" a la Bernard Cornwell´s famous series. The King's Back Ranger will be published in early 2022 by Sharpe Books (www.sharpebooks.com), along with re-issues of my Seth Armitage thrillers Devil´s Den and In Shadowland.