It’s just over a month before Scott and I launch the sixth book in the ‘Dax Hunter Files.’ Scott already made huge contributions to my 4^th and 5^th books (‘A Bastion of Truth’, and ‘A Crisis of Faith’), so it was only natural that I asked him whether he’d consider co-authoring Book #6 with me. The rest, as they say, is history: ‘A Creed of Saints’ will be launching on May 28^th, 2026. Here’s what Scott had to say after the airing of our recent interview with well-known evangelist, Britt Gillette.

Dr. Ian Player (1927–2014) was a visionary conservationist whose courage and passion reshaped how South Africans viewed their natural heritage. Most famously, he spearheaded ‘Operation Rhino’ in the 1960s, developing pioneering capture and translocation techniques that saved the southern white rhino from the brink of extinction. Beyond his technical brilliance, Player was a spiritual advocate for the wild. Creating both the Wilderness

Although fully recharged after our recent trip to South Africa, Cathy and I now find ourselves navigating the very real effects of jetlag. In a small departure from the usual Tales & Trails format, I have elected to use a piece posted last week on social media by my daughter Paige. Recently, I had the honour of sitting down for coffee with two extraordinary South African creatives—Fuz Caforio and GG Alcock—both of whom helped bring my dad’s book, ‘Izwi Lami—My Voice’, to life. My dad has written 8 books

There are presently five books in the Dax Hunter Files, with Book#6 due for release at the end of May. Readers often ask if each book is a stand-alone story, or whether they should be read in sequence. Ignoring for a minute the urge to make a few extra sales, I have to say that each book builds materially on the last—and I’m not simply referring to the evolving circumstances

About nine years ago I reached out to my old friend Beaver Shaw. I'd just started writing my first work of 'faction' (fact + fiction) and was eager to include real-life characters in my carefully curated scenes, many of which form part of the historical record. Pairing Beaver—a true hero of the Rhodesian Bush War—with Dax Hunter, my fictitious protagonist, seemed inspired, if only Beaver

Over the course of five books—soon to be six—I have perfected the art of twisting fiction to fit the facts. Several years ago, an enthusiastic London agent corrected me when I told her that my genre was ‘historical fiction’. “No,” she replied, having read a few sample chapters. “In UK literary circles, we refer to this genre as ‘faction’.” Referring to it as a portmanteau, she’d

Here’s an excerpt from ‘A Brood of Vipers’, the second book in the Dax Hunter Files: Along with his twin brother, Waya could easily have been lured into an adulterated life of crime, drugs and cheap booze. But thanks to the firm guidance of the boys’ father and uncle—both of whom were proud Navajo Code Talkers—Waya and Dyami Thunderclaw grew up with a noble sense of heritage and culture.

Before moving to our current home in Central California, my wife and I lived up in the San Emigdio mountains about an hour’s drive north of Los Angeles. Besides being surrounded by a million acres of natural forest—perfect fuel for a runaway fire—our cottage lay within 100 yards of the San Andreas fault. Moreover, there are only two paved roads in and out of the small town.

“Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life” — Oscar Wilde, poet and playwright, from his 1889 essay, ‘The Decay of Lying’. Here’s an excerpt from my book ‘A Crisis of Faith’, published in 2025. “Certainly,” beamed Mok, barely able to disguise his grin. “One of the competencies required of Bestia’s new AI system is the ability to delegate tasks

After decades of fielding questions about possible cover-ups, the FBI finally declassified over two hundred pages of Tesla-related documents under the Freedom of Information Act in 2016. The following two letters were among the released papers. By way of background, Nikolai Tesla's

‘A Banner of Knights’ —the second book in the popular ‘Dax Hunter Files’ —is set during the first half of the 1980s. Amidst a re-escalation of Cold War tensions and neoconservative economic shifts, the mood of that decade was characterized by the combative ‘Evil Empire’ rhetoric so typical of the Reagan-Thatcher era.

In March 1979, eighteen aspirant pilots attested into the Rhodesian Air Force. One of those pilot cadets, Ian du Rand, was an ex-Oriel Boy. For those familiar with the old Rhodesian (now Zimbabwean) school system, it’s not unfair to say that sport often transcended education. As a consequence, lingering

Ricky D Phillips’ opus, ‘The First Casualty’, spits in the eye of most mainstream accounts of the first day of the Battle for Stanley [April 1982]. With meticulous care, he dismantles most—if not all—of the long-held beliefs fed to the world in the aftermath of Argentina’s invasion of The Falklands.

While filming on location in Northern Iraq in 2010, our director suddenly ordered our small convoy to take a detour. ‘A film-worthy moment,’ she cried, pointing at some activity in the distance. It was a traditional Kurdish open-air wedding. Imagine the guests’ reactions when the occupants of three strange vehicles poured out, unannounced. Being of Kurdish descent, our director was able to communicate

On a recent trip to Cape Town, Cathy and I dropped in to visit our good friend John Dickerson. Given my own fascination with Zulu history, I couldn’t resist getting John to pose with me in front of his collection of rare 19th century etchings. Flexing their imperial muscles, Queen Victoria’s

Built in the USA, coaches like the one shown here were shipped over to Africa in the late 19th century. Cecil John Rhodes, the man for whom Rhodesia was eventually named, paid the following tribute to Christian Zeederberg, founder of Zeederberg Coaches: “(He) has done more than any other man to help open up Rhodesia.”

As last-minute invitees to the XXII Olympiad, most of Zimbabwe’s athletes had little or no time to prepare for the upcoming quadrennial showpiece. David Parrington, an old school friend and participant in those Games, was a valuable resource while I was researching the event for my first book, ‘A Legion of Warriors.’

Some readers may be wondering about the origin of my logo, and the word ‘imbongi’ that appears above my signature. A few years ago—around the time I finished the second book in my ‘African Big 5 Series’ —I was browsing through my favorite bookstore in Bryanston, Johannesburg, when a title jumped out at me.

First published in 2017, ‘A Legion of Warriors’ is a factional story centering on the exploits of the principal character, Dax Hunter. Four sequels followed in quick succession: ‘A Banner of Knights,’ ‘A Brood of Vipers,’ ‘A Bastion of Truth’ and ‘A Crisis of Faith’.     

Besides a passion for writing, I describe myself as being a bit of an adventurer. At age nine, a hastily scribbled note left on the kitchen table was enough to let my parents know that my friend and I were going camping on a neighboring farm. As much a reflection of