About Me

Image Chris (C.C.) Humphreys was born in Toronto and grew up in the UK. All four grandparents were actors and since his father was an actor as well, it was inevitable he would follow the bloodline. He has acted all over the world and appeared on stages ranging from London’s West End to Hollywood’s Twentieth Century Fox. Favorite roles have included Hamlet, Caleb the Gladiator in NBC’s Biblical-Roman epic mini-series, ‘AD – Anno Domini’, Clive Parnell in ‘Coronation Street’, and Jack Absolute in Sheridan’s ‘The Rivals’.

Chris has written ten historical novels. The first, ‘The French Executioner’ told the tale of the man who killed Anne Boleyn, was runner up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers 2002, and has been optioned for the screen. Its sequel was ‘Blood Ties’. Having played Jack Absolute, he stole the character and has written three books on this ‘007 of the 1770’s’ – ‘Jack Absolute’, ‘The Blooding of Jack Absolute’ and ‘Absolute Honour’- short listed for the 2007 Evergreen Prize by the Ontario Library Association, all currently being re-released in the US by Sourcebooks. His novel about the real Dracula, ‘Vlad, The Last Confession’ was a bestseller in Canada and his novel, ‘A Place Called Armageddon’ was recently published in Turkish. All have been published in the UK, Canada, the US and many have been translated in various languages including Russian, Italian, German, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Serbian, Turkish and Indonesian. His adult novel ‘Shakespeare’s Rebel’, about William Shakespeare’s fight choreographer at the time of ‘Hamlet’, was released in the UK in March 2013 and in Canada August 2011.

His most recent adult novels for Century in the UK and Doubleday in Canada are ‘Plague’ and ‘Fire’. Tales of religious fundamentalist serial killers set against the wild events of 1665 to 1666, London, ‘Plague’ won Canada’s Crime Writers’ Association Best Crime Novel Award, the Arthur Ellis in 2015. In the Summer of 2016, both novels spent five weeks in the Globe and Mail Top Ten Bestseller list.

He has also written a trilogy for young adults ‘The Runestone Saga’. A heady brew of Norse myth, runic magic, time travel and horror, the first book in the series ‘The Fetch’ was published in North America in July 2006, with the sequel, ‘Vendetta’ in August 2007 and the conclusion, ‘Possession’, August 2008. They are also published in Russia, Greece, Turkey and Indonesia. His Young Adult novel ‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’ was released by Knopf in North America in March 2011 and also published in Spain. A loose sequel, The ‘Hunt of the Dragon’, was published in Canada in Fall 2016.

Author in the role of Jack Absolute. Malvern 1987

Author in the role of Jack Absolute. Malvern 1987

His new novel is in the editing stage and has a working title of ‘Girl on a Zeppelin’. It tells of Roxy Loewen, a 1930’s Aviatrix, a tough and sassy flyer who steals art from under Hitler’s nose at the Berlin Olympics and ends up on the Hindenberg. Look for it in May 2018.

Chris lives on Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada, with his wife, son and his writing partner, Dickon the Cat.

55 Responses to About Me

  1. Dennis Thompsett says:

    Dear Mr Humphries;

    Your book Armageddon has killed my Kindle. You bastard.
    My beloved Kindle was fine when I downloaded Armageddon and now, it is frozen, unresponsive and completely dead to the world. A bright eyed machine turned into a vegetable. Brought low by the insidious blunt force trauma of well wrought words.

    I demand satisfaction!

    Pistoleros at dawn in Gastown?
    Rapiers on the grass at Stanley Park?

    Pick your seconds, sir.

    Dennis Thompsett
    Another demned Canadian Patriot in Exile

    Email: Jonnictee@aol.com

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      Did its crash coincide with the final breach of the walls? Sorry to hear this … now you’ll have to go an buy a paper copy – and I get double income. See, all part of my fiendish plot!

  2. Claire Main says:

    Dear C C Humphreys,

    I hope you are well. If possible could you contact me regarding your new book Shakespeare’s Rebel? I think it is a fantastic book and I would like to promote it on our website http://www.doodledbooks.com.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Best wishes,

    Claire

    Managing Director

    T – 01246569722
    M – 07909903911

  3. Kelly Wells says:

    I finished A Place Called Armageddon last night on my Nook. As soon as I was finished I downloaded Vlad The Last Confession. I am now 150 pages into it. You definitely bring the era to life. I find the fall of the Byzantine Empire and its effect on the Balkan states fascinating. I’d love to see you write more in this time and place. But I will happily read anything you write now. I’ve added your works to my must-read list.

  4. Shanon Stroer says:

    Hi Chris! So nice to have met you on your recent stop in Athens. Andy and I had a delightful time, and we’re both eager to get started reading Jack Absolute. The offer on pecans from my parents’ orchard is still good!

  5. Steven Larnder says:

    hi chris – i found a copy of vlad in a second hand bookshop and have to say is one of my favourite reads in the past couple of years ! went to the same shop today and found a copy of the french executioner which i snapped up eagerly … just wanted to ask , do you read any other historical novelists work ? i dont mind cornwall but must admit my favourites ( apart from you sir ) are conn iggulden , angus donald and simon scarrow . but have read most of their book so am on a mission to collect all yours now ..even if i have to break my rule and pay full price for a nrew book !

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      I am honoured to be in the company you name! And do please pay full price once in a while. That way I can write more books- and send my son to school!

  6. Steven Larnder says:

    lol yeah sorry about buying second hand – but unemployed sketch writer is rather restricted budget wise , but once i hit the jackpot i wil speed merrily to my local waterstones and do my part in sending your son to eton / harrow / cambridge / oxford / dagenham polytechnic / …

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      No, no! Dagenham is far beyond our dreams ( and auto corrects as ‘Sage Ham’ – interesting. A comment on my acting skills?)

  7. Steven Larnder says:

    ermm no comment ( cough ) ! i think you would find my town an interesting place – we have 2 castles – one was an 11th century building , but was destroyed in the civil war by cromwell , the other is still standing , its an elizabethan castle that was built and owned by sir walter raleigh – and our 7th century abbey houses the visible bones of 2 saxon kings , and for 800 years years the chanting of benedictine monks filled the air …..anyway , i am rambling , but i am sure there is a strory there somewhere lol . anyway , back to reading the french executioner – love it so far btw – on the slave ship at the moment so will bid you a good evening sir…. or should i shay shir ?

  8. Veronica Synkova says:

    Dear C. C. Humphreys,
    you are great writer. I read your book “Vlad – The Last Confession” and I was excited. I want ask you for your photo with your signatur for me. Is it possible?
    Please, contact me on my e-mail: vercikas@seznam.cz
    I’ll give you my address.

    Veronica

  9. Kerry Korberg says:

    Dear Mr. Humphreys:
    I am writing to ask if you might have any interest in reading my screenplay, “westviking”, which is based on the Norse Sagas and features the music of Led Zeppelin. It is the story of the Viking prince, Leif Ericson, who is pursued by contrary gods and a dark temptress in a quest for the love of his cold and murderous father, Eric Raude The villain’s role and the swordplay therein may be of singular interest to you.

    I should be more than happy to sign any required release.

    In Sincere Admiration,

    Kerry Korberg kjkorberg@gmail.com
    Armstrong, BC

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      Kerry, I love West Vikings and Led Zeppelin. Sounds like a formidable mix! Alas, I can’t read anything right now. But good luck with it all!

  10. Gil Ibanez, seattle wa says:

    Just finished ‘APlaceCalled Armageddon’. Great book! I’m a historian stuck as a computer programmer. You really bring that period alive. Keep them coming.

  11. Sabrina Lynn Shaw says:

    Hello Mr. Humphrey!
    My name is Sabrina Shaw and I am currently Reading your books Vlad, and Shakespeares Rebel (Personally I find them phenomenal). I’m writing a paper on them for my grade 12 Adopt-a-writer essay (Excuse the name, my teacher chose it not me) and I was just wondering if it were possible for us to email each other so I can pick your brain about these books, and possibly get some quotes for my essay? I’d greatly appreciate it and it would so helpful for my paper. (Of course I plan on saying only good things 🙂 )
    Thank you! Please let me know.

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      Wow! Quite the contrasting books! Be happy to chat. Don’t want to post my email address but if you send yours I’ll respond. All best.

  12. Glenn Krochmal says:

    Goldsboro has indicated the will not have signed copies of your upcoming book. How may I obtain one? Help! distressed in Virginia. OMG, my wife is threatening to commit me!

  13. Catherine says:

    Have you ever thought of bringing your books to life in as audio-books. The wonderful Diana Gabaldon has recommended you on her FB page.

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      I’ve done several. Not sure if they are available in US. Try Shakespeare’s Rebel

      • Catherine Argabright-Stanz says:

        I have been enjoying your books on my Kindle.
        Now I am nagging Audible to make your books available to their customers who enjoy listening to their favorite authors.
        Cheers!

      • C. C. Humphreys says:

        Hooray, Catherine. I am talking about doing several more. Hopefully with Audible.

  14. Adele says:

    Dear Mr Humphreys
    I have sent a note to the publisher to complain that your Jack Absolute books are not available for Kindle at Amazon.ca. No response yet. Very disappointing. I did read the first book and enjoyed it immensely.

  15. Adele says:

    Thank you! I could see they were available in the U.S. but not Canada – so not fair. Will watch for them.

  16. Alidë Camilleri says:

    By chance found a copy of Shakespeare’s Rebel at a local Chapters store and was intrigued by its storyline. Enjoyed reading it. Also your note, especially the comment about the Oxfordians. Why is it that snobs can’t accept that you don’t have to have a degree or be of noble birth to be a Shakespeare. Kudos to yoy.

    Alidë

  17. Christiaan Hannes says:

    Dear sir,
    Dutch translations of Vlad and Armageddon are long overdue, as is my debut as an English-Dutch literary translator 😉 What do you think?
    Christiaan

  18. abydos56 says:

    Hi Mr. Humphreys. Just found your site. Nice! Glad to know that you are keeping busy. Just saw all your books you have written. You have quite a collection. Didn’t know you were a swordsman. I first saw you on one of my New World Zorro episodes. “He Who Lives By The Sword.” You played that character Miles Thackery. That was a good episode. I have all the dvds. I loved that series. Too bad it didn’t last longer. 😦 Being a professional swordsman, how did you feel about doing those sword fighting scenes with Duncan Regehr? Did you give him any tips on sword fighting? I bet that was fun doing those scenes. I watched your video on being a writer. That was good! No offense, but you should get a flat screen monitor. I finally “graduated” to a flat screen, and I really love it! It’s much easy to see what’s on the screen and it takes up less space. That’s just my personal opinion. 😉 Anyway, I’m enjoying visiting your site. Keep up the good work! Also there’s a really neat New World Zorro site on Facebook. I’ll post the link in case you want to check it out. It’s a fun site. I’m sure everyone there would love to have you drop in and say HI! You can even join the site too. Here’s the link. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2288393438/

    Well, Good Luck on all your books. 🙂

    Sincerely,
    Nancy

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      Thanks, Nancy! It was a fun role. No, Duncan was a terrific swordsman and needed no help from me. Will definitely check out the group. All best!

      • abydos56 says:

        Hi again Mr. Humphreys. Thanks for the quick reply. Just saw your post. Glad to know that Duncan is a good swordsman. I think I either saw a video or read where he had only studied theatrical swordplay, and swordplay for movies. But he had never had any “formal” training in the art of swordsmanship. I’m sure he spent quite a lot of time working with that actor/stuntman, the late Peter Diamond, who also trained some actors in Star Wars. Thought that was cool. So sad that Mr. Diamond died. Anyway, I hope you do get a chance to check out the group. As I said, it’s a lot of fun. 🙂

        By the way, I mentioned you to the group. Would it be OK if I posted a link to your website so everyone could see it? I’m sure they would enjoy seeing your site, and all the books you have written. Also that book you wrote about Unicorns, sounded interesting. I like unicorns too. That was a beautiful tapestry that you were standing in front of. It had some unicorns on it. I love old tapestries. So much work went into making those. Glad they take time to preserve those for everyone to see. 🙂

        Just curious, I really liked that little magic ball you had by your desk. The one with the wizard. I would love to have one of those. Where did you get yours? That was really cute!

        Anyway, Thanks again for your reply. Hope to see you on the Zorro site!

        Sincerely,
        Nancy

      • C. C. Humphreys says:

        Sorry, Nancy, been so busy. Yes feel free to post a link. And I’ll certainly drop be sometime.

  19. Leanne Crawley says:

    To Mr Humphries,

    I am currently reading “Plague” and noted, with surprise, the king’s wife being referred as Henrietta Marie. I’m fairly certain that Charles the Second’s wife was Catherine of Braganza. Henrietta Marie was his mother and the widow of the executed Charles the First.

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      I know! And of course I knew it at the time – but it’s like a misprint, you just don’t see it. Corrected in all other editions. Hope you’re still enjoying it.

      • Leanne Crawley says:

        Yes, I am enjoying it. I’m a bit of a fan of the historical/crime novel. It combines my fascination with history and the excitement of the whodunit! It must be a huge task making sure that the time your novels are set in are historically accurate.

        Thanks for getting back to me and I’m looking forward to reading more of your novels.

  20. insearchofinspiration says:

    Dear Mr. Humphreys,

    Hello. I first just wanted to say I just finished reading Plague and it was amazing! Do you think you’ll be writing another book with Captain Coke and Mr. Pitman?

    1. I was also curious as to know how long it took for you to do research for the book and
    2. How long you have been writing in general?

    Thanks for your time

    Sincerely

    Murielle

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      Oh thanks, Murielle. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, Coke and Pitman plus Sarah and Dickon will be back in Fire – May in UK, August in Canada.

  21. Geoff White says:

    Chris, I very much enjoyed Fire, Plague and Shakespeare and have looked for Jack Absolute in various bookshops around Vancouver and in England over the past month. But with no success. Can you suggest any stores which might still carry the series. Good friends of mine used to own Calvins in Ganges (perhaps you ate there) and they occasionally return for a quick visit and could pick up copies should a book store still have any available or you have some spares in your basement. Thanks very much, Geoff

  22. Kencoltas says:

    Dear sir after devouring the historical fiction of Igullden, Scarrow, Kane you came late into my life. Rome, Middle Ages & Napoleonic my favourite eras.
    Vlad , I was curious. I got so involved in the characters as never before, I just wanted to read about his life without the court flash backs! It was brilliant and I’ve just started on Armageddon.
    You can’t read one of your books fast every paragraph has to be digested and savoured ‘love blunts,’ another nugget!
    Started the best seller Pharoe at a pace couldn’t wait to finish it & gave up. Yet the author a household name is well read by many. Potatoes to your steak me thinks!
    I too was touched on the walls of Byzantium (in the heart!) especially after discovering the scratched crucifix among the ruined walls (and I was disgusted at the Turkish repairs,) sacrilege!
    I was so moved that I wrote a poem on my return ‘the walls of Byzantium’ and follows it’s checkered history. Would love to email it you if possible?
    I know already Armageddon will have a similar effect on me as Vlad. Already totally hooked and love the subject.
    Wish you had written a Hannibal, William Marshall, Scipio etc book. I have never been keen on the wars of independence but will have a date with Jack or do you think Boleyn books? On the shelf would have expected a Gregory type novel not my bag but mums a fan.
    So I expect again to be gratefully suprised!
    Keep up the good work and consider those other subjects? I see you played a gladiator once so there’s a start!

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      Ken, thanks so much for these kind words. A great start to 2017 knowing I’ve got another convert. Keen to read your poem, I’ll send you a separate email. How’s Armageddon going for you? Quite different from Vlad, multi narrator. Think you’ll enjoy the last assault chapter. Couldn’t break it down so it ran 49 pages!
      Do not worry – my Boleyn is nothing like Gregory’s.
      All best, Chris

  23. Nicole says:

    Good afternoon,

    I had some questions about your book “Plague”
    Who was the killer? Besides the plague.
    The pale hourse and the bird mask man. Is that Death?
    For I am doing a project with your novel.

    Thank you hope to hear from you soon

  24. utahan15 says:

    C C thank you for your portrayal of Caleb on Ad! Most wonderful. Glad to see you and Neil have the good chemistry going all these years later. even my son Tom loves Ad and he doesnt love anything!

  25. utahan15 says:

    update. nine hour version found. heaven be praised ! the fight scenes! arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      Truly? Where did you find it?

      • utahan15 says:

        online. now today the bugger has canceled. can you believe it! i mean ad is a classic. and we fans are mad for it. even my son. and he doesnt like anything. but caleb made him laugh. it is and was a brilliant performance! kudos!

  26. Darcy McNeill says:

    Hi Chris. Very short note to tell you how happy I am I’ve discovered your books. You’re a great storyteller and I love your characters and how you develop them. Just finished “Shakespeare’s Rebel” and delighted to read here that his descendent Jack Absolute (spoiler!!) has a new adventure. Now, stop reading fan mail and get writing!!!

    • C. C. Humphreys says:

      I’m trying, Darcy.
      Have you picked up the new one, ‘Chasing the Wind’ on Kindle? If you are in the US its only 99 cents for two more days. (It’s not much elsewhere!)
      Glad to have you aboard – but no more spoilers, y’hear!

  27. Titus Drummond says:

    Message for CC Humphreys;

    Hi, my name is Titus. I’m just finishing a book about my recent experiences riding a motorbike round Gabon. Near the end I have a photograph which, among other breakfast paraphernalia, shows the cover of ‘Chasing the Wind’ on my tablet. I am writing to ask your permission to use this photo…

    If you email me, I’ll send you a copy of the photo.

    I loved ‘Chasing the Wind’ and left a positive review on Amazon. In fact, as soon as I’d finished it, I desperately searched for the next Roxy adventure… but there were none! So I’ve moved onto ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ by Robert Heinlein instead!

    Rgds,

    Titus

  28. C.M. Huddleston says:

    Just finished Chasing the Wind. I would love to feature your book with a short interview on Monday Morning Indie, by book blog. The interview comprises me sending your a series of five questions, and you supplying answers.

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