Derek Birks

Derek was born in Hampshire in England but spent his teenage years in Auckland, New Zealand, where he still has strong family ties. After gaining an Honours degree in History at Reading University, he taught history for many years in a Berkshire secondary school.

Interested in a wide range of historical themes, Derek began his writing career with the late medieval period and in 2010, he took early retirement to concentrate on writing action-packed historical fiction which is rooted in accurate history.

His debut historical novel, Feud, was the first of a series of eight books and one novella -now entitled The Wars of the Roses - which follows the fortunes of the fictional Elder family. Derek has also written a bestselling trilogy set largely in post-Roman Britain. The Last of The Romans focuses on the real Romano-British character of Ambrosius Aurelianus during the fifth century AD.

Derek’s first foray into non-fiction history came with a very well-received podcast series about the Wars of the Roses and he now co-hosts the Slice of Medieval podcast with historian Sharon Bennett Connolly.

To find out more about his books, or to contact him you can go to his website: www.derekbirks.com