Red Ferne, Writer

What do you do after spending more than three decades, both in and out of uniform, defending your country and protecting the people of Australia? Well, in my case, you take up writing fiction. Thrillers, to be specific.

I have written electronic warfare, intelligence and cyber reports, ministerial briefs and situation reports (yes, SITREPs are a thing), to name a few. At the heart of each, is telling a story, albeit a factual one. Convincing the reader, whether politician, bureaucrat or field commander, the report matters, and the story and the consequences are real, has been my whole career. What a wild ride.

However, while defending my country has been my honour, and my life to date, I eventually felt a pull to write. Something different – possibly even normal (life in the Government and Defence world is anything but). Which led me to writing fiction. (Department of Novels, anyone?)

I am currently writing my second novel.

I also write short stories and blogs for my subscribers. My email series 'From writer to author' commenced in 2022, and documents the highs and lows this writer experienced while writing the first, and commencing the second, novel, so is somewhat autobiographical. The short stories are a mix of fiction and memoir.

My hope is that my fiction, once published, can entertain, and possibly provide some (limited) insights into this (sometimes stranger than fiction) world. I shall let you be the judge.

Yours,

Red Ferne