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AN AUSTRALIAN writer is drawing on his Yorkshire ancestry as inspiration for his novels.

Paul Rushworth-Brown uses Yorkshire as the setting for his second novel Winter of Red which is set during the English Civil War.

Paul name-checked local locations during a recent interview on the US TV show America Tonight to promote Winter of Red.

Presenter Kate Delaney describe Paul's research as "incredible" for the tale of a peasant family unexpectedly caught up in the ravages of the 17th-century war.

Paul's first book Skulduggery is set on the moors around Keighley and fictionalises the life of his ancestor Thomas Rushworth.

The follow-up, Winter of Red, follows Thomas's son and his family in 1642 as they are caught up in the ravages of the Civil War.

Winter of Red is aimed at people who like "history, adventure, intrigue and a dash of spirited love" in their reading matter.

Paul said he was inspired to write the novel five years ago after starting to write a history of his family, for his children.

He said: "I spent six months preparing a 400-page history of the 1600s and my ancestor Thomas Rushworth, a peasant farmer who worked for Lord Birkhead, the lord of the manor in Haworth.

"Thomas's family came from Haworth. They stayed there until the early 1800s then they moved to Denholme."

Skulduggery is set on the "bleak Pennine Moors" and follows young Thomas and his family after they lose their father to consumption in 1590. He is set to marry Agnes in an arranged marriage, but a love story develops between them.

Paul said: "This rollicking adventure paints a descriptive picture of the characters and the landscape they fill. You are kept in suspense till the final pages where one hopes good will triumph over evil.

"Winter of Red continues this generational story. The book isn't really about the English Civil War, it's about how the circumstances affect the family. There's history, a love affair, there's birth, death, fires. It's historically accurate and really descriptive.

"I want readers to escape when they read this book. They will walk the moors of Yorkshire, they will fall in love with the characters.

Paul Rushworth-Brown is the author of three novels:

Skulduggery- An exciting, mysterious, fictional and historically accurate adventure pulls no punches about the life and hardships of peasant farmers living on the moors of Yorkshire in 1590.

"Was excellent reading . I intended to read it over the next week but once I started I could NOT put it down . Really enjoyed it !"

Winter of Red- Come on this historic journey, which twists, turns and surprises until the very end. If you like history, adventure and intrigue with a dash of spirited love, then you will be engrossed by this tale of a peasant family unexpectedly getting caught up in the ravages of the English Civil War in 1642.

"A fictional, historical novel about a loving peasant family caught up in a 1642 shocking Civil War. Humour, romance, adventure and excitement are here to enjoy. A great story.

"Dream of Courage- Soon to be released!

The much anticipated story of the Rushworth family and their journey out of poverty.

King Charles has been executed and England becomes a Republic under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell. Highwaymen, thief-takers, pirates and broggers tell

the story in this mysterious and bone chilling historical thriller.