Location: Canada
Member Since: June 23, 2011
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John Wilson


Biography

When I read in schools, kids often ask: "Have you always wanted to be an author?" The simple answer is no, I was 43 when my first book (WEET) was published, but I have been an author as long as I can remember. Growing up in Scotland I compensated for a lonely childhood by making up stories in my head and all I do now is write those stories down.

History is the trigger for my stories: WWI (Shot at Dawn, And in the Morning), WWII (Flames of the Tiger, Four Steps to Death), or the Wild West (Written in Blood). I firmly believe that the decisions a Roman Legionary (Germania), or a Medieval Crusader (The Heretic's Secret Trilogy), had to make were just as confusing and frightening as any of the decisions we have to make today. That's what I try to bring out in my thirty plus fiction and non-fiction books for kids, teens and adults.

Where to find John Wilson online

Website: http://www.johnwilsonauthor.com
Twitter: teenreadings
Facebook: Facebook profile
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-wilson/2b/5b7/605
Blog: http://johnwilson-author.blogspot.com

Where to buy in print

http://www.amazon.ca

Books

Renaissance: The Heretic's Secret Book 11    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 20680 words. Published on March 4, 2013. Fiction.
The conclusion of the Heretic's Secret series. Will the Cathar Treasure change the world?
Discovery: The Heretic's Secret Book 10    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 28670 words. Published on March 4, 2013. Fiction.
John and Isabella are safe in a remote fortress, but they cannot remain there. The information that Oddo gave them is too powerful. They must use it even if it risks their lives.
Muret: The Heretic's Secret Book 9    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 17910 words. Published on March 4, 2013. Fiction.
Muret, the only set-piece battle of the Albigensian Crusade was a bloody affair. It draws in Peter.Adso and John in terrifying and unexpected ways
First Blood: The Heretic's Secret Book 8    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 21550 words. Published on March 4, 2013. Fiction.
King Pedro of Aragon has finally marched north and is preparing to do battle with de Montfort's crusaders. His army is overwhelming, but what will a victory mean for John, Isabella and Peter?
Stigmata: The Heretic's Secret Book 7    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 32260 words. Published on November 22, 2012. Fiction.
Stigmata is the seventh installment of The Heretic's Secret, an epic tale told in 11 novellas. Peter has been given an arduous quest by the mysterious Arnaud Aumery—find the Holy Grail. As he heads east, Peter begins to hear a voice ordering to do things, but is it the voice of God or the Devil?
Al-Andalus: The Heretic's Secret Book 6    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 34880 words. Published on November 22, 2012. Fiction.
Al-Andalus is the sixth installment of The Heretic's Secret, an epic tale told in 11 novellas. John and Isabella head for Moorish Al-Andalus in search of peace and learning. At first they find it in an ancient library but Isabella has a secret—a secret that embroils them in the horrific battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.
Dragon's Head: The Heretic's Secret Book 5    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 22710 words. Published on November 22, 2012. Fiction.
Dragon's Head is the fifth installment of The Heretic's Secret, an epic tale told in 11 novellas. Adso is fighting a guerrilla war against the Crusader knights with his mutilated friend, Bertrand. When things go badly, Adso takes to aimlessly wandering the land. In a cave in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, he finds something that might just change his world.
Red Goodwin    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 42810 words. Published on July 20, 2012. Fiction.
After Will Ryan's father is killed on the Western Front in the first World War, he's sent out to live with his uncle in a remote coal-mining town in Canada. Almost immediately, Will is thrown into a complex world of racism, greed and the mine workers' struggle for safe working conditions. The only bright spark is Morag McLean, the beautiful daughter of a Scottish miner.
Adrift in Time    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 33820 words. Published on July 20, 2012. Fiction.
"Who are you?" Ian managed at last in a cracked whisper. "Emily Victoria Park," came the soft reply. Ian knew that name. "That was…you must be…great grandmother Emily." "Yes." "But," Ian continued, struggling to make sense of what was happening, "you've been dead for…almost forty years." The old woman smiled. "Yes, I suppose I have." And so begins Ian's adventures with his ghostly ancestors.
Flags of War    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 36580 words. Published on July 10, 2012. Fiction.
Two cousins, one in the Confederacy the other in neutral Canada, struggle with their feelings as the Civil War explodes around them. Linking the two is an escaped slave struggling along the Underground Railroad to freedom. Their stories shockingly come together amidst the carnage of Shiloh.
Battle Scars    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 39640 words. Published on July 9, 2012. Fiction.
The sequel to The Flags of War, continues the adventures of two cousins, Walt and Nate McGregor, and of Sunday, the former slave on Nate's father's plantation. "…this book looks at the Civil War from the eyes of soldiers who come to realize that their enemies are just men like themselves."–Jane G. Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Four Steps to Death    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 45050 words. Published on July 6, 2012. Fiction.
"This absorbing, well-crafted tale…is a haunting description of the tragedy and irony of war…In this vivid narrative, the awful cacophony of war comes to life…the skilled author succeeds without moralistic preaching in highlighting the harsh reality, the utter misery, and the heartbreak of war in this intricate but fascinating book." VOYA
Flames of the Tiger    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 36570 words. Published on July 4, 2012. Fiction.
Over the course of a single night in 1945, in a ditch by the flickering light of a burning Tiger tank, a young German soldier tells his life story to a wounded Canadian. Growing up in Germany in the 1930s, Dieter has been seduced by the pomp and propaganda of the Nazis. Now, having seen battle and having discovered the evils his countrymen are capable of, the best he can hope for is survival.
Weet: The Weet Trilogy Book 1    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 31380 words. Published on July 1, 2012. Fiction.
John Wilson has created and entirely believable world.a true page-turner. Wilson writes in clear, complex sentences with advanced vocabulary that does not condescend to young readers; the story is so compelling that there is danger they won't continue reading. Highly Recommended." (Canadian Book Review Annual ) "An informative and exciting story for children 9 and up. Recommended." (CM Magazine)
Weet's Quest: The Weet Trilogy Book 2    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 28090 words. Published on June 30, 2012. Fiction.
"Children 8 to 10 years will be fascinated with this world of scary creatures, near-death adventures, erupting volcanoes and hostile pre-humans." (Comox Valley Echo ) "A fun book and dinosaur-mad youngsters will have fun reading it. Recommended." (CM Magazine ) "An exciting adventure.based on good scholarship.this wonderful adventure set 65 million years ago." (CCL )
Weet Alone: The Weet Trilogy Book 3    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 25250 words. Published on June 29, 2012. Fiction.
The perfect first chapter or read aloud book for any dinosaur-mad 8 to 12 year old. Short chapters are easy to digest and eight sketches help show what is going on in this thrilling tale of time travel and T. rex. "Exciting and the relationships between the humanoid dinosaurs and the young humans are believable and noteworthy. Recommended." (Canadian Book Review Annual.)
The Final Alchemy    by John Wilson
Price: $5.99 USD. 96390 words. Published on April 19, 2012. Fiction.
A novel of intrigue, ambition and betrayal in Tudor England and on the shores of Hudson Bay.
Fires of Minerve: The Heretic's Secret book 4    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 26260 words. Published on April 13, 2012. Fiction.
Fires of Minerve is Book 4 of The Heretic's Secret, an epic tale in 11 novellas. Surrounded on 3 sides by gorges, Minerve is thought impregnable, but it has a weakness and Peter must spy it out. John is also in the town learning the arts of war, as are 200 cathars for whom a terrible fate awaits if the town falls to the crusade. "…an astonishingly nuanced and masterfully told story…"—Q&Q
A Gift from Bram: The Heretic's Secret Book 3    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 26690 words. Published on April 13, 2012. Fiction.
A Gift from Bram is Book 3 of The Heretic's Secret, an epic tale in 11 novellas. Peter is being drawn deeper into the plans of Aumery and de Montfort. John seeks learning in the ancient books hidden in remote castles, but the crusade is close and it has a bloody surprise in store for him. "…an astonishingly nuanced and masterfully told story…"—Q&Q "…a brave book…very much needed at this time."—G&M
Kill Them All: The Heretic's Secret Book 2    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 18020 words. Published on April 13, 2012. Fiction.
Kill Them All is Book 2 of The Heretic's Secret, an epic tale in 11 novellas. John and Peter find themselves on opposite sides at the brutal siege of Beziers. Will the city walls break the hearts of the crusaders, or are John and the other 10,000 inhabitants doomed to meet a bloody end? "…an astonishingly nuanced and masterfully told story…"—Q&Q "…a brave book…very much needed at this time." G&M
Gathering Storms: The Heretic's Secret Book 1    by John Wilson
Price: $0.99 USD. 22470 words. Published on April 13, 2012. Fiction.
Gathering Storms is book 1 of The Heretic's Secret, an epic tale in 11 novellas. In the thirteenth century, two childhood friends, John and Peter, are torn apart by a looming war and find themselves involved in a mysterious murder. "…a brave book, an unsettling book, and one that is very much needed at this time."—The Globe and Mail "…an astonishingly nuanced and masterfully told story…"—Quill
The Alchemist's Dream    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 62010 words. Published on October 24, 2011. Fiction.
Set against the thrilling backdrop of the quest for the Northwest Passage, The Alchemist's Dream is a riveting tale of exploration, ambition and betrayal. Governor General's Literary Award Finalist. ForeWord magazine's Book of the Year Award finalist.
Ghost Mountains and Vanished Oceans: North America from Birth to Middle Age    by John Wilson
Price: $4.99 USD. 48050 words. Published on October 11, 2011. Nonfiction.
We are not simply passengers on a dead piece of cosmic debris whirling through space; we are an integral part of an exceptional, dynamic system that produced both ourselves and our Earth. In a very real sense, geology made us. This is that story.
Where Soldiers Lie    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 48670 words. Published on August 15, 2011. Fiction.
A thrilling tale of mutiny and rebellion! India, 1857. It's all exotic and mysterious to Jack O'Hara, newly arrived to live with his aunt in Cawnpore. What Jack doesn't realize is that violence and war lurk just below the surface and are about to explode into a nightmare from which very few will survive. "…an absolutely terrific book…The pacing is flawless" Geoffrey Bilson Award Jury
Germania    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 65010 words. Published on July 20, 2011. Fiction.
In 9 A.D., the Roman nobleman Publius Varus led three legions—20,000 men—east of the Rhine river. In the dark, haunted forests of barbarian Germania, all of them were slaughtered in one of the worst disasters ever suffered by the Roman army. This is their story and the story of a young Legionary, Lucius, and his friend, Freya, caught on opposite sides of the horror.
Lost in Spain    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 42100 words. Published on July 14, 2011. Fiction.
It's 1936. Ted Ryan is fifteen, Canadian and caught in the chaos of the opening days of the Spanish Civil War. His father is missing and his only chance of finding him is Dolores, a beautiful Spanish revolutionary who can explain what is going on, but cannot protect either of them from the fighting raging all around. Ted is determined, but can he survive this strange and dangerous world.
And in the Morning    by John Wilson
Price: $2.99 USD. 44350 words. Published on July 6, 2011. Fiction.
The diary of a boy caught up in the enthusiasm and horror of the First World War. "A compelling, fascinating, and ultimately disturbing book that is not to be missed." School Library Journal. "A terrific addition to a social studies or history curriculum." Booklist "…joins other outstanding novels about the First World War as an invaluable resource." Quill & Quire
North with Franklin: The Lost Journals of James Fitzjames    by John Wilson
Price: $5.99 USD. 116670 words. Published on June 23, 2011. Fiction.
Based on original letters and diaries, North with Franklin recreates an officer's journal covering the tragic fate of Sir John Franklin's doomed Arctic expedition of 1845. "A richly re-imagined fable." The Arctic Book Review.

John Wilson’s tag cloud

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