About John..........

An adventurous life...

...or so some would say. John served as a troop officer during the communist insurrection in Malaysia, leading patrols deep into the jungle. He also spent time in Borneo on bomb-disposal duties.

Returning to Europe by freighter, he has subsequently lived and worked in England, Asia, Africa and Australia.

He has lived on a houseboat in Kashmir, trekked in the Himalaya and South Africa's Drakensberg Mountains and sailed single-handed in the English Channel. For most of a year he worked on a big-game reserve in the Eastern Transvaal. Political considerations, some of which were outlined in his novel KEEPERS OF THE HOUSE, were partly responsible for his decision to emigrate to Australia, where he has lived chiefly on the Whitsunday coast and in South Australia.

J. H. Fletcher is the author of three historical novels: Claim the Kingdom, The Burning Land an A Far Country. The best-selling View from the Beach was published to both critical and popular acclaim and this was followed by the equally successful Keepers of the House, Fire in Summer and Wings of the Storm.

Educated in the UK and France John travelled and worked in France , Asia and Africa before emigrating to Australia in 1991. He now lives within the sound of the sea in a small town in South Australia.

THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE

Unusual in a male novelist, most of John’s novels have been written from a woman’s point of view. It was this perspective that motivated him to write THE BURNING LAND, a novel set in the Outback in the mid-nineteenth century.

“I wanted to take nothing from the men who, by their vision, energy and sheer muscle power helped to open up this land, but a lot had been written about them already. By contrast nothing much had been written about the women who accompanied them.

These women, in the fashion of the day, followed their men into the interior, not in pursuit of their own dreams but the men’s.

Especially in the early days, they had little idea where they were going. All was strange and potentially hostile. For all they knew, there might have been tigers ten feet tall out there. Yet they went. Often they bore their children—and in many cases buried them—without another woman to help them. They endured from day to day in the knowledge that never in their lives would conditions improve, their only hope that things might be easier for later generations. This was a feat of courage and endurance that I felt should be celebrated.”

Following the success of The Burning Land John has told the story of many other women faced with problems arising from ambition, environment and gender.

THREE VOICES…

John, winner of the 1999 Sassy literary award for versatility, expresses himself through three voices:

Historical

His three historical novels—Claim the Kingdom, The Burning Land and A Far Country—were released under the name of John Fletcher and published by Random House.

Contemporary

View From the Beach, published by HarperCollins in 1999 under the name J. H. Fletcher, was a runaway bestseller and is currently in its seventh printing.

Fantasy

Written under the pen name Fletcher Anthony, EYE OF STONE   is the first novel in THE INHERITORS trilogy. It will be released in 2004 by HarperCollins under the Voyager imprint.

All these titles are published by HarperCollins. Most have been reprinted. Wings of the Storm has been published in the United Kingdom in large print hardcover.

John is a frequent broadcaster, appearing on both radio and television. An inspirational speaker, he has given many workshops and master classes. He is in frequent demand to address gatherings, literary groups etc.

Forthcoming titles
Note ..Titles subject to change

July 2004

March 2005

THE INHERITORS BOOK 3—SPIRITS OF THE EARTH

(Fletcher Anthony)  (HarperCollins)

November 2004

VOICE OF DESTINY

(J.H. Fletcher) (HarperCollins)

CONTACTS—Australian publishers

HarperCollins Australia

25 Ryde Road, Sydney, NSW 2073

Tel : 61 2 9952 5000

02 9952 5000

Fax : 02 9952 5444

Random House, Australia

20 Albert Street, Sydney, NSW 2061

Tel : 61 2 9954 9966

02 9954 9966

Fax : 02 9954 4562

United Kingdom publishers

Thorpe and Company

Representation

John’s representative in Australia in respect of all the above titles is leading literary agent Selwa Anthony.
For all future titles please contact Tara Wynne at Curtis Brown

Contact John by Email at jhfletcher@author.au.com