Matt Jones, a former Canadian Navy officer and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, has recently signed a deal with Double Dagger Books for a work of fiction entitled “Predators, Reapers and Deadlier Creatures.” Skillfully incorporating magic realism into a tale about the impact of drones in Afghanistan (on Afghan civilians and Coalition soldiers alike), his book will take you on a wild ride through aspects of the war that are otherwise hidden. We are immensely excited to bring this book to life – dropping October, 2024.

Double Dagger Books have recently signed a slew of new authors for books in 2024 and 2025. Some are returning Double Dagger veterans, while others are trusting us with their debut books.

I’m frightened of war.

I grew up in the 70s when the threat of nuclear annihilation was a spectre stalking the world. Whenever a helicopter flew overhead at night (I lived near the SAS camp in Hereford, England), I thought it was the start of the end. I was 8 years old and the monsters under the bed came in the guise of Russian soldiers and mushroom clouds.

A Fairey Swordfish seems like something of a misnomer for such a large, cumbersome looking aircraft that was conceived as a Greek reconnaissance aircraft. The initial plans didn’t amount to much and the British Air Ministry took over the discussions with Fairey to create a torpedo plane, the prototype taking to the air as TSR1 (Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance). It was to become so much more than a TSR in its unexpected role in World War II. It’s origins explain why it wasn’t a nimble creature, designed for the speed of attacks needed in the evolving warfare of the 1940s. It was a chunky, solid piece of engineering powered by a Pegasus radial engine of some six hundred horsepower and delivering a throaty roar as it left the ground. It had room for a crew of three: a pilot, observer, and gunner but frequently only flew with two. The empty seat making a useful home for spare fuel. Entering service with the Royal Navy in 1936, this biplane was already outpaced and outgunned by other aircraft yet it did more than its fair share to disrupt the Axis supply lines into Africa during World War II.

When I was a child, there was a Sopwith Camel hanging over my bed. It was the most precious thing I owned and I stood on a chair to dust it every Saturday. My dad had given me an Airfix kit to make and paint when I was eight because I was obsessed with military aircraft. He’d been in the RAF at the end of the war but had only ever flown as part of the Berlin airdrop. In fact, that was the only time he ever left the UK.  To this day, I’ve no idea where my childhood obsession with aircraft came from but I used to know the outlines of every helicopter and fighter plane and I would watch the Red Arrows in awe on the black and white TV set. It wasn’t until I was 14 years old that I went to my first air show and I can still feel the vibrations in my bones of a Vulcan making a slow, low fly past. The huge aircraft, the smells, the sounds, I can remember them now. But it was hearing the distinctive chunky sound of a biplane overhead that gave me more of a thrill than any of the modern aircraft.

Writers are solitary beasts. We’re famed for being unsociable and irascible when we’ve got a new project and generally obsessed by whatever it is we’re writing about. For some of us, that’s just a great cover for avoiding unwelcome social engagements. For others, it’s part of the writing process, to become isolated and immersed in the world we’re creating.

That’s why developing a book with another person is often seen as something to be avoided. People interrupt your train of thought, question your brilliant ideas, challenge your beautifully crafted structure. Maybe I’m unusual as a writer, but that’s what I find so useful about working with other people – they make me uncomfortable.

James Stejskal spent 35 years as a “Green Beret” and CIA case officer living and conducting operations around the world during the Cold War and after 9/11. He has written five military history books, along with numerous articles, and received accolades for his book Masters of Mayhem: Lawrence of Arabia and the British Military Mission to the Hejaz. His fiction centers on intelligence and special operations and Dead Hand is the fourth book in his The Snake Eater Chronicles. He lives in northern Virginia with his wife, Wanda.

We’ve interviewed him ahead of the launch of the fourth book in The Snake Eater Chronicles.

By: James M. Leslie

This exciting question is on the minds of many Canadians as we get closer and closer to the month of May. This long weekend at the end of the month stands as an exciting milestone in any Canadian year. For many it marks the beginning of the summer season, when warm weather begins and summer holidays are fast approaching. It is a time where we get together with friends and family, take some time away from the difficulties of life, and really unwind with some fantastic summer-themed activities. 

Author of “Soft Targets,” a collection of short stories that launches on 18 May, 2023, is Benjamin Inks. A Purple Heart recipient, Benjamin served three years in the Army and has worked an odd array of jobs—private investigator, personal trainer, peer recovery at a crisis receiving center. So far, the highlight of his résumé was teaching literature as a grad student at George Mason University.

Phil: I have a lot of questions that I want to ask, but maybe the best place to start is at the beginning. What was your motivation to join the Army?

I don’t know anymore. I remember it being the plan when I was a knucklehead in middle school, which is strange because I have difficulty forming long-term goals now that I’m grown, and I can’t imagine how/why I’d have such conviction at that age. No one in my immediate family served, though I have an uncle in Kansas who also earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam with the same unit as me (The 173^rd Airborne Brigade). I didn’t know this prior to enlistment, but we’ve since had great fun reconnecting.