Growing up in Sydney in the 50’s and 60’s, V M Knox attended both Ravenswood and Abbotsleigh schools. Following her secondary education she trained as a primary teacher then as a nurse, specializing in burns care. While working in the health industry, she studied singing at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music and worked in a semi-professional capacity as an opera singer for over twenty years.
While music and nursing dominated her early adult life, she later worked in an administrative capacity for the Dean of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, and in the real estate industry. Coming to writing later in life has meant that her varied life experiences, coupled with a love of history have had a strong influence on her writing. She is married with two children and numerous grandchildren.
I very much enjoyed speaking at the Royal Automobile Club last Monday about my first two books, “In Spite of All Terror” and “If Necessary, Alone” and giving them some information about my soon-to-be-released third book in the Clement Wisdom series, “Where Death and Danger Go”. It was wonderful to be able to speak again, even with all the current restrictions of distancing which the Club handled superbly. Those present showed great enthusiasm. Thanks again to all at the Club and for their kind invitation to speak about my WW2 novels.
After hunkering down these past few months in the Southern Highlands with my family and working on Book 3! I am pleased to announce my return to public events. I will be speaking at the RACA on Monday 31st August, 2020. For more information, please visit https://www.raca.com.au/our-events/ladies-committee-august/
It was a wonderful surprise to receive two wonderful books in the mail from my grandson Matthew written by you. They have given me great pleasure to read and reminisce as I am 98 years and many parts of the books brought back memories good and bad of the past and of the time and of the time when girls were called up and I was asked to work in the Munitions factory supplies laboratory in Maribyrnong in Victoria.
For years we worked each day looking through the microscope etching very accurately the degrees and grinds on the new lens which were inserted back into the World War I binoculars and sights of guns being reused and updated for use in the Second World War.
Later when the Owen Gun was invented the Army came out to the laboratory to test accuracy of the eye pieces of the gun. It was very satisfying to know our efforts and contribution were so valuable to the success of the gun.
I couldn’t put the books down because the immense suspense which you portrayed begged me to turn the pages to find out whether the characters were staying with us chapter by chapter.
The amount of research and authenticity is remarkable intertwined with the plot carried out under the guise of Ministers of the cloth.
Thank you for many hours of such enjoyable reading and I wish you every success with your future books and I look forward to many many more hours of fascinating reading.
I had a wonderful time being interviewed via Skype by Rob Weinberg of Dan Snows History Hit Podcast. So much fun and such an honour being invited to join these amazing historians.
To listen to the History Hit Podcast please click the link below
I received a lovely email from a woman in Caithness today;
“ After giving If Necessary, Alone as Christmas presents, my friend told me that she set herself the task of reading a chapter a day “as it wasn’t her genre”. She was so hooked by the fifth chapter that she couldn’t put it down and just carried on reading as she was so in to the story.”
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. If you are looking for something new to read to bring in the New Year take a look at my latest novel If Necessary, Alone. Available from Amazon & selected bookstores
