The most recent novel of Simon Munro Kerr, who was born near Selkirk, Yours is the Earth was released on Monday, July 28.
The book is described as ‘fiction based on fact’ and follows the lives of three brothers after the unexpected death of their father and fighting during the First World War.
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Munro Kerr describes the long process and inspiration for writing the novel.
He said: “I started this book in 1988 shortly after my wife died.
“I bought the lighthouse keepers’ house on the Isle of Jura and, perhaps hoping for inspiration from the spirit of George Orwell.
“[I] Started drafting story lines about the first World War, loosely based on my grandfather’s adventures, he who had fought through the entire war.
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“As had his brother, William, who ended up as head of the Australian Navy, they even named a range of mountains after him in Australian Antarctica.”
Munro Kerr’s book took a step forward when he met his friend Ector Orr Munn in Palm Beach, who formed a large part of the inspiration for the novel.
Munn recounted his life in between the wars and of his two late brothers, with Munro Kerr forming the story around them.
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He added: “A year later I met Ector Munn when I was staying in Palm Beach, and we became good friends.
“We talked for hours about his life and I recorded a lot of it on a micro cassette player.
“He had two brothers that had died before I met him, on which I built my story, with emphasis on Ector.
“He had exceptional recall & diaries dating back to his teens, some of which he gave me copies. He managed to convey life during & between the wars and carry me along with him, to the extent that I felt that I was there with him.”