HOSPITAL porter, David McCann, says that stories of war-time Enniskillen inspired his latest novel.
McCann, 50, who combines being an author with his duties at the South West Acute Hospital, launched his second book, “A Boy Called Yank” at Waterstone’s bookshop at the Erne Centre.
Set in 1943 Enniskillen, it tells the tale of a boy, Conor Cleary, whose life is brought into colour by the arrival of American troops who have based themselves in the town to help the Allies’ fight against Nazi Germany in World War II.
McCann’s interest in Enniskillen during that time was sparked from stories his grandfather used to tell him and the former St Joseph’s College pupil took those to inspire his new novel.
He said: “My grandfather lived in Enniskillen at that time and when I was a child back in the 1970s, he would tell me those stories.
“I took an interest from there and started reading up on the troops being in the town back then. I thought there was actually a story in this as there were a few things my grandfather told me that he had seen happening up the town one night.
“That took my interest and I thought that it should be told about and put into the story as a work of fiction.
“It’s quite a short story so it was just a matter of putting it together and writing it down – that took about four or five months. There were other things – purely fictional ideas that are from my perspective.
“There were things happening in the book that wouldn’t happen back then. I have General Patton in it. The General was in the town but I weaved his time there into the story with the boy and the other soldier that I created.
“I initially published the book on Amazon myself and then I found a publisher in England that was willing to publish it.
“I’ve had no real feedback yet – the book’s going to have to get a bit of publicity first and then we’ll run with it and see what’s happening.”
“A Boy Called Yank” by David McCann is on sale at Waterstone’s in the Erne Centre at
Enniskillen.