James Aitcheson was born in Wiltshire, England in 1985 and studied History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he developed a special interest in the early Middle Ages and particularly in the Norman Conquest of England.
Sworn Sword is the first novel in the Conquest Series, featuring the knight Tancred and set in England during the tumultuous years that followed the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Tancred’s adventures continue with The Splintered Kingdom and Knights of the Hawk. The Conquest Series is published in the UK, the US, Germany and the Czech Republic.
James’s fourth title, The Harrowing, was published by Heron in 2016 and named by The Times as a Book of the Month. He received his PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Nottingham in 2021. His thesis explored what historical fiction is, how it is constructed, and its objectives, responsibilities and possible future directions.
James teaches Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Nottingham.