Welcome to the About Charles Cordell page. I am the author of English Civil War historical fiction series Divided Kingdom, including the novel God’s Vindictive Wrath. This page includes a little about me, my writing, this website, my partners in publishing and the Service Charities I support.
I hope this page helps you find what you are looking for. If not, please get in Contact and let me know what is missing.
About the Author
I am a writer with experience as a soldier on the ground in the Middle East, South Asia, the Sahel, North and West Africa. I believe I have seen humanity at its best, its worst and near its most desperate. My writing draws on my time spent in the fraying margins of civilisation, as well as a long study of The General Crisis of the 17th Century.
If you want to know a little more about Charles Cordell, my writing and life as an author, please do join the Divided Kingdom Readers’ Club. If you want to know about the books I enjoy reading, you can find my curated book lists at Bookshop.org. You can also find and follow updates from me at:
Alternatively, simply follow Charles Cordell Author and/or #DividedKingdomBooks on social media at:
About the Divided Kingdom Books
God’s Vindictive Wrath is a debut novel. It is the first book in the English Civil War historical fiction series Divided Kingdom. Book #2 – The Keys of Hell and Death – was published on 4 June 2024. I have also written a short story – Desecration – which sits between the two novels. It is available as an eBook. I am now writing Book #3.
The writing has been critically described as ‘excellent’, ‘strong and vivid’, ‘impressively rendered’, with descriptive prose of ‘exceptional quality’. It has also received many wonderful reviews and endorsements from readers, literary critics (including in The Times), historians and soldiers.
Please do visit the pages on this website for each book. These include a selection of reviews as well as FREE book tasters, links to bookshops and online bookstores, book trailer videos and more.
The Divided Kingdom books take a fresh approach. They are not based on a single hero. They do not take sides. Their voices – ordinary men and women – face each other in the chaos of Britain in civil war. They are both relatable and sharply relevant today.
Hardship, inequality, injustice – issues that echo today – scar each character. Each faces the brutal reality and human emotions of war – the bloodiest in British history – a war fought in its towns, villages and fields, a war that forged the United Kingdom.
I very much hope you will appreciate and enjoy these books. However, they will not be for all readers. They are historically authentic. But they are also brutally real. I do not believe in hiding the realities of war. They are not to be trivialised.
When you read any of the Divided Kingdom books, please read more than one chapter. The stories are told from a number of perspectives. Some of them represent the extreme views of their time. Together they present the story and humanity in all its traits. If you want to know a little more about the characters and why they fight, you will find them at Characters.
About the English Civil War – Historical Notes & Posts
I hope you will enjoy the content on this website as much as the books. Those interested in the historical background of the English Civil War will find a range of articles at Notes and Maps. These cover a range of topics from The General Crisis of the 17th Century and the Great Rebellion to Pike and Shot Warfare, as well as notes on Civil War battles such as Edgehill, Lansdown Hill and Roundway Down.
This website also includes a range of posts on Early Modern life and the British Civil Wars. These include snippets from my historical research, as well as Living History and re-enactment events. Please do check out these posts at Early Modern History and Charles Cordell News.
Talks & Walks, News & Events and Readers’ Club
I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can in person. Please do look out for an opportunity to say hello, let me sign your book and tell me what you think. Alternatively, tell me what you are doing and how I can support you. If it fits, I can offer to give lectures, Talks and Battlefield Walks. Details for getting in touch are on the Contact page.
If you want to know more about Charles Cordell, my writing and what I am up to, please do join the Divided Kingdom Readers’ Club. Clubmen get FREE exclusive access to unpublished work, opportunities to meet and a monthly email from me.
Alternatively, you can simply choose to follow my news and/or 17th Century history blog posts at News & Events. If you want to know about upcoming author talks, book signings and battlefield walks, you will find these at: Charles Cordell Events.
Do check out the News & Events posts on this website to see what has been happening. For a list of upcoming events, please also visit the Facebook Page at: CharlesCordellBooks. In the meantime, here is some of what I have been doing recently:
- The 17th Century Almanac for July
The 17th Century Almanac for the month of July – the ‘hungry month’. - The 17th Century Almanac for JuneThe 17th Century Almanac for the month of June and hay making.
- The Keys of Hell and Death Video TrailerI love this video trailer for The Keys of Hell and Death – out 4 June!
About Writing – My Thanks & Ask
Sometimes, writing can feel a very lonely pursuit. Becoming a published author has been a long and bumpy journey from ‘Army to Author’. There have been many that have helped along the way. Some knowingly and some unknowingly. I offer them all my sincere thanks. Any mistakes are mine alone.
But firstly, to you the reader – thank you for your time and trust. There would be no books without you. I hope I will repay your trust in full. If you enjoy reading one of my books, please do post a review. It makes a very big difference to a new author. The chances of continuing to be published are slim without positive reviews.
About Book Publishing – My Thanks & Advice
Ultimately, the author is only one part of the story of publishing a book. It requires an extraordinary range of professionals to bring together art, craft and business acumen in a finished book on a reader’s shelf. It is a sector fraught with risk. My sincere thanks go to the publisher, Myrmidon. But I also wish to pay tribute to their partners: Blacksheep Design for their cover, the typesetters at Falcon, the printers at CPI, the sales team at Inpress Books and the distributers, Gardners, BookSource and Ingrams.
I also want to thank all the wonderful bookshops that have found space on their shelves and tables. This includes the many Waterstones, Blackwells, Foyles, Toppings and WHSmith outlets, as well as a host of smaller independent bookshops, most of them with Bookshop.org. Finally, I must also thank Amazon and Booktopia for making the Divided Kingdom books so widely available – to an international audience.
For those interested in the process of writing and book publishing, I hope you will find the advice, links and insights on Writing and Publishing Historical Fiction useful. This is an author’s perspective on the often opaque literary business. It is my perspective, gleaned from my personal journey. If you don’t find what you are looking for, tell me.
Veterans and Service Charities – My Pledge
I am a veteran who is lucky enough to have come home. I have my scars. But they are nothing compared to others. So many veterans and their families are still struggling with physical disability, mental health and disadvantage. In UK, more than 6,000 veterans are homeless, on our streets, today. It is an enduring Misery of War.
My eternal thanks goes to the Service Charities that have been there to watch my back and, if necessary, try to pick up the pieces. If you buy one of my books, I pledge to give 2% of my royalties received as an author to support veterans. The charity I am supporting is Royal British Legion Industries. If you would like to help, please donate via JustGiving.
It is my way of giving back to ‘Tommy Atkins’. He remains an inspiration in an increasingly fractured world. I am honoured to have stood beside him for a time.
About this Website
Finally, for those with a technical interest, this website is a WordPress Astra site. The font is 16 point, for accessibility, set to dark mode to help reduce glare and save a little energy. It is hosted by Fasthosts on secure UK servers powered by renewable energy.