‘I’m not changing my name again and nor should you. It’s safer this way, for both of us.’
By then we were married and our first baby was on the way. That would be another issue—one day we would have to explain to our child why my surname was not the same as my father’s. But children adapt to life’s strangeness more easily than we do. I knew that one day my past would have to be shared with the next generation, and I hoped that by then Russia might be a more responsible nation. But I had my doubts.
Two years later I decided to write about my experience. Let me share the first page of the first chapter with you.
Have you ever been to the island of Jura? Not many people have. If you are a whisky connoisseur you possibly toured the island’s distillery to taste Isle of Jura single malt. Perhaps you were a climber assaulting the famous Paps of Jura, or a sailor assessing the treacherous cauldron of the Corryvreckan whirlpool from the safety of land. Maybe you needed to imbibe the presence of George Orwell (aka Eric Blair) who completed Nineteen Eighty-Four at Barnhill on the north of the island. That’s about all you can do on Jura, which is why not many go there. That however may be its attraction.
I was there during the Cold War years and there my spying career took roots. I was on a family holiday in July 1967. In the third week my life changed forever…
Acknowledgements
Special thanks are due to David Watt, formerly of AFNOR (Association Française de Normalisation) the equivalent of the BSI (British Standards Institute) in the UK. A translator, reviser and proof-reader. What a friend he is indeed. To my agent Mathilde Vuillermoz, who keeps faith with me while answering all my demanding questions. And to Jocelyn who leaves me to daydream, walk the dog, garden, shop, and cook. In the process of these chores, I work out my next line.
Finally, I express my thanks to the Russian State for their gifts and without whom this book would not have been written… even although it does not show the Russian Government in a favourable light.
Interview with the Author
What made you write this book?
After writing A Reluctant Spy, I thought about my own brief encounter with the Soviets and spying when I was a schoolboy on holiday on Jura. Yes, the first chapter is true, as is the first part of the second. Once that was written, the brakes were off and a story emerged.
Why did you set the story mainly in Ghana?
Tamale airport in the north of Ghana, during the Cuban Crisis in the cold war, granted landing rights to the Russians. It seemed remote but ideal as a base for espionage. Of course, I did live in Ghana between the years 1972-78 and have visited Sandema, Navrongo, and Tamale in the north, as well as many towns in the south. I worked in Tema where I lived at the Presbyterian Church in Kortu Gon (Community 1). Authors often write about what they have experienced.
Why is the book a novella?
A book is not enhanced by writing more than is necessary. Did I know when I started if it would have been a novella? Yes, I knew the limitations of the storyline and so it is a novella. It also keeps the book very active. The chapters are short. It is easy to read a chapter before going to sleep. Novellas are at last having their day too. It seems we have no appetite for the 500 page novels these days.
Do you distrust Russians?
I admire the Russian people. They suffered much during WW2. They are a responsible peace loving people, as they showed during the World Cup of 2018. Their Government, however, bends the truth and has a hostile attitude to many parts of the world today.
What will your next book be?
After writing A Reluctant Spy I had a break from writing. I could not think of a storyline. Then quite by accident I realised my great aunt was not the only spy in the family and this book emerged. I have written twenty-three books. Sometimes two books a year. At present, I have started to write Love Amidst the Flanders Trenches. Then perhaps a comedy book? I’m open to that idea. That should be fun.
However, I have also started work as a Jane Austin Literary mentor supporting evolving writers all over the world. A writing career offers many opportunities. I am delighted to be working with children from Saudi Arabia and Qatar so far. Perhaps I will be reading what Ghanaian children have written soon.
Other books by Miller Caldwell
Operation Oboe
A Scottish widow becomes a Second World War spy in West Africa
ISBN 0755200090-X New Generation Publishers
The Last Shepherd
An arrogant city banker clashes with the rural ways of the last shepherd in south-west Scotland.
ISBN 978-07552-0643-4 New Generation Publishers
Restless Waves
A writer-in-residence aboard a cruise ship faces daemons onboard and onshore.
ISBN 0-7552-0260-0 New Generation Publishers
Miss Martha Douglas
Martha, a nurse and seamstress obtains a royal position but becomes a suffragist. When released from prison she serves in the trenches, where she finds true love.
ISBN 978-0-7552-0689-6 New Generation Publishers
The Parrot’s Tale
The comic tale of an escaped parrot in the Scottish countryside sits alongside the tragedy of a missing girl.
ISBN 978-1-910256-05-3 New Generation Publications
Betrayed in the Nith
In this modern romantic novel set in south-west Scotland, fraternal devotion turns to an unexpected romance as the mystery of Danny Kimber’s death comes to light.
ISBN 978-07552-0625-4 New Generation Publishing
The Crazy Psychologist
Set on Rousay in The Orkney Islands, the childhood difficulties of Dr Angle Lawrence come to light, explaining her bizarre treatment programmes, while her fragmented family come to terms with their past, placing her marriage in jeopardy.
ISBN 978-1-910667-24-8 Matador Publishers
The Trials of Sally Dunning and A Clerical Murder
Two novellas in one book
Sally Dunning is autistic. Bullied, defrauded and drugged, she is not likely to be the best witness as she sees goodness in everyone. However, a chance meeting on holiday when her home is burgled turns Sally’s life around in a spectacular way.
ISBN 978 1788038 126 Matador Publishers
A Lingering Crime
Jack Watson is arrested and charged with murder. Extradition takes him to Florida but he has never been there before. Florida still has the death penalty and his thoughts turn to the electric chair. But did he know the victim? How could he be linked to the deceased? As Jack’s story emerges we learn of his troubled past and his need to right wrongs.