“Falling Night is startlingly real as it recalls the dangerously shifting sands of tribal alliances, western political agendas, and brutality that have characterised Africa’s recent wars. Yet Clarke dares to suggest that inside the worst that the world has to offer, love wins.” Dr. Nik Ripken, author of The Insanity of God
Alan Swales is no hero and no saint. Bored by a successful yet dull life in Britain with his girlfriend, Mandy, he decides to become an aid worker in Africa to experience adventure and acquire anecdotes to impress his mates. Plunged into a civil war waged by vicious warlords and their child soldiers, Alan has to make unexpected choices about the direction of his life as well as his relationship with Mandy. As the situation deteriorates, he hears rumours of a hidden genocide, which leads him on a dangerous quest for evidence in the face of almost insurmountable obstacles.
Phil Clarke: “Despite both positive and useful feedback from ten Beta readers, my manuscript for Falling Night failed to secure interest from two dozen book agents. I realised something was wrong, so I decided to employ a professional editor to identify the problems. Byte The Book recommended Bryony Sutherland, and from the moment I read her first email I sensed she was the right person to appraise and improve the novel. She has done a wonderful job identifying/correcting my errors in style and technique, and her sharp eyes have picked up inconsistencies as well as the spelling errors that would foil any computer spellcheck. She skilfully removed 11% of the text without intruding on my writing style, leaving me with a far sharper story that was still in my own voice. It has been an extremely positive experience working with Bryony—she is pleasant, engaged, and wise in a patient way with amateurs like myself. Also, she responds quickly to emails, which I really appreciate (and take the liberty here to use a few adverbs despite being told by her to avoid them). The process to secure a publisher and bring the novel to print took a few more years that were not always easy, but I felt sustained by the professional encouragement I had received from Bryony to continue with the book project. A huge thanks to you.”