William John Duncan Spence (born 20 April 1923) is an English writer.[1] He has written war novels as Duncan Spence, and Westerns as Jim Bowden, Floyd Rogers and Kirk Ford. He has also used the pseudonym Hannah Cooper. His most successful novels have been historical romances written under the name Jessica Blair.[2]
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Transcription
Life
Spence was born in Middlesbrough in 1923.[3] He worked as a schoolteacher from 1940 to 1943.[3] He saw active service during World War II with Bomber Command. On 1 October 1943, he was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a pilot officer (on probation).[4] His commission was confirmed and he was promoted to flying officer on 1 April 1944.[5] He was promoted to flight lieutenant (war substantive) on 1 October 1945.[6] He served as a bomber aimer in Avro Lancasters, completing 36 operations.[7] He was a store manager from 1946 to 1977.[3]
He currently lives in Ampleforth near York.[7] He was nominated for a prize at the 2014 Romantic Novelists' Association Awards; his novel The Road Beneath Me, written under the pseudonym "Jessica Blair," was nominated in the Epic Romantic Novel category.[8] Had he won, he would have been the first male writer to do so.[7] Spence was interviewed in May 2019, at the age of 96, where he discussed his service in World War II and his love of cricket. He suggested that, despite medical problems, he did not intend to stop writing.[9] He retired from writing in May 2020, aged 97, after suffering from a fall.[10]
Works
War novels
- as Duncan Spence
- Dark Hell, 1959
- as Bill Spence
- Bombers Moon, 1981
- Secret Squadron, 1986
Westerns
- as Jim Bowden
- The Return of the Sheriff, 1960
- Wayman's Ford, 1960
- Two Gun Justice', 1961
- Roaring Valley, 1962
- Revenge in Red Springs, 1962
- Black Water Canyon, 1963
- Arizona Gold, 1963
- Trail of Revenge, 1964
- Brazo Feud, 1965
- Guns along the Brazo, 1967
- The Stage Riders, 1967
- Gun Loose, 1969
- Valley of Revenge, 1971
- Trail to Texas, 1973
- Thunder in Montana, 1973
- Showdown at Salt Fork, 1975
- Hired Gun, 1976
- Incident at Bison Creek, 1977
- Cap, 1978
- Dollars of Death, 1979
- Renegade Riders, 1980
- Gunfight at Elm Creek, 1984
- Hangman's Trail, 1986
- Return of the Gunmen, 1988
- Robbery at Glenrock, 1992
- A Man Called Abe, 1993
- as Floyd Rogers
- The Man from Cheyenne Wells, 1964
- Revenge Rider, 1964
- Hangman's Gulch, 1974
- Incident at Elk River, 1979
- as Kirk Ford
- Trail to Sedalia, 1967
- Feud Riders, 1974
Romance
- as Hannah Cooper
- Time Will Not Wait, 1983
- as Jessica Blair
- The Red Shawl, 1992
- A Distant Harbour, 1993
- Storm Bay, 1995
- The Restless Spirit, 1996
- The Other Side of the River, 1997
- The Seaweed Gatherers, 1998
- Portrait of Charlotte,
- The Locket
- The Long Way Home
- The Restless Heart
- Time and Tide
- Echoes of the Past
- Secrets of the Sea
- Yesterdays Dreams
- Reach For Tomorrow
- Dangerous Shores, 2007
- Wings of Sorrow, 2008
- Stay With Me, 2009
- Sealed Secrets
- Secrets of a Whitby Girl
- The Road Beneath Me
Non-fiction
- as Bill Spence
- (with Joan Spence) Romantic Ryedale, 1977
- Harpooned: The Story of Whaling, 1980
- (with Joan Spence) The Medieval Monasteries of Yorkshire, 1981
- (with Joan Spence) Handy Facts: North Yorkshire, 1984
- (with Joan Spence) Stories from Yorkshire Monasteries, 1993
References
- ^ James Vinson; D. L. Kirkpatrick (1982). Twentieth-century western writers. Gale Research Co. p. 95.
- ^ Natalya Wilson, Meet Bill Spence, the man behind Jessica Blair – 60 years on, York, 13 February 2013
- ^ a b c The Writers Directory. St. James Press. 1990. p. 933. ISBN 978-1-55862-032-2.
- ^ "No. 36267". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 November 1943. pp. 5244–5248.
- ^ "No. 36488". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 April 1944. p. 1943.
- ^ "No. 37333". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 October 1945. pp. 5339–5340.
- ^ a b c "North Yorkshire war veteran's novel nominated for romance award". BBC News. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ "Romantic Novel of the Year 2014 Shortlist announced". News. Romantic Novelists' Association. 12 February 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ^ The real Jessica Blair: Meet the 96-year-old Yorkshire war veteran who became a romantic novelist
- ^ Gazette & Herald book reviewer Bill Spence retires after 50 years
External links
- jessicablair.co.uk
- Bill Spence, Revisiting the Jim Bowden years... Before Bill became Jessica, Black Horse Extra, December 2008-February 2009
- An Interview with Jessica Blair (aka Bill Spence)
- Kara, Prolific Romance Novelist is Actually a Lovable Old Coot, 11 February 2013
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This page was last edited on 19 March 2024, at 10:44