Youghal’s John Stack hit the headlines with his first best selling book ‘Ship of Rome’ which he confirmed at the time would be one of a trilogy.  Recently at Read & Write in Youghal, John himself came along to meet with the people and personally sign copies of his second book ‘Captain of Rome’. email: news@youghalonline.com

‘Captain of Rome’ follows the continuing war between Rome and Carthage and all the major characters are back but, as John says, this new book also has a self contained plot so that readers can read Captain of Rome without having read the first book of the series.

The book is a seafaring story and should appeal to anyone who has an interest in the sea.  It is also, however, an adventure story based on a historical background.  The lead characters are fictional, which brings the early Roman Republic vividly to life for the reader.

John says that writing the second book was a lot harder for him than the first. Writing Ship of Rome, he said, was a dream he had nurtured for many years, and for which he had no expectations.   “Now, suddenly”, he said, “I had a deadline which required me to write approximately 1,000 words a day.  More than that, I was now, for the first time, writing for a readership who had read my first book and wanted more, much more”.

John Stack had a job to do…he had a book to write which filled his mind, but a book that he wanted to be as good, if not even better, than the first.   His characters had to be further developed, the story even more enthralling, and the readers had to be pleased.

And in ‘Captain of Rome’ they most certainly are.