Pam Lecky's Blog, page 17
February 17, 2021
New Release from Sharon Dempsey
Sharon DempseyHappy Publication Day, Sharon!
Today I am delighted to share details of this fabulous new release from Belfast based crime writer, Sharon Dempsey. Who Took Eden Mulligan? is the first in her new crime series and is published by Avon Harper Collins. When not writing, Sharon is a PhD researcher at Queens, exploring class and gender in crime fiction.
Who took Eden Mulligan? is a modern day murder investigation wrapped in a historical cold case.
‘They’re dead. They’re all dead. It’s my fault. I killed them.’Those are the words of Iona Gardener, who stands bloodied and staring as she confesses to the murder of four people in a run-down cottage outside of Belfast.
Outside the cottage, five old dolls are hanging from a tree. Inside the cottage, the words “WHO TOOK EDEN MULLIGAN?” are graffitied on the wall, connecting the murder scene with the famous cold case of Eden Mulligan, a mother-of-five who went missing during The Troubles.
But this case is different. Right from the start.
Because no one in the community is willing to tell the truth, and the only thing DI Danny Stowe and forensic psychologist Rose Lainey can be certain of is that Iona Gardener’s confession is false …
A creepy, gritty and very compelling crime novel, perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney, Angela Marsons and Jane Casey.
Buy LinkWatch out for next week’s interview with Sharon when she will share insights into her writing life.
February 12, 2021
A Conversation with Author Vivienne Brereton
Vivienne BreretonThank you so much, Pam, for inviting me to the Library. I’d like to start off by telling you a little about myself.
Born between historic Winchester and Southampton in the UK, I have been passionate about the Tudors for as long as I can remember. This led to a degree in Medieval History at university, and the growing desire to write a novel.
However, life took over somewhat and only after stays, short and long, in six countries I called home did I finally settle down to finish my novel.
Words have always played an important part in my life, whether it’s been writing, editing, teaching English, or just picking up a good book.
Seeing A Phoenix Rising, the first book in the series The House of the Red Duke in print for the first time was a moment of great joy for me. I hope anyone reading it will enjoy the end result as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Having three sons came in very handy when I had to write about squabbles between the male characters in my novel. Not so handy when I took my boys to Hampton Court and one of them got lost in the maze!
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?I think that has to be Anya Seton. I started off reading Jean Plaidy novels but then discovered Anya’s Katherine and was in awe of her attention to detail and the way she sweeps the reader along, pulling them back into another time and place. What is all the more remarkable was that she was writing long before the days of finding all the facts at your fingertips. My favourite is Green Darkness, a tale of reincarnation that spans the centuries.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
Thomas HowardThat’s a very interesting question, Pam. Writing about the Tudors obviously took me to castles and stately homes all over England. I was lucky enough to do some of the research in the British Library in London. However, I’ve lived in the South of France for twenty years now so I did a lot of research here too for the ‘French’ part of my book. The series I’m writing has several points of view and the action takes place in four European courts: England, Scotland, France, and what was the Burgundian Netherlands. I feel very fortunate to open my front door onto history in a village that was founded in 1519 by François I.
What was the best piece of writing advice you received when starting out?Just write. Write every day, no matter what it is. If you do that, you get into a habit of writing that becomes second nature.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?No. I think I’m quite lucky in that I can write at any time day or night. I’m a bit of a night owl so that suits me.
If you could travel back in time, what era would you go to? What draws you to this particular time?
It has to be the early Tudor court of Henry VIII. I would love to go back to the 1520 Field of Cloth of Gold that took place just outside Calais, the one remaining piece of English territory in France. Six thousand members of the English court travelled across the Narrow Sea to meet up with an equal number from the French one. It was the most exciting event of the sixteenth century and even now, the entertainment sounds almost beyond the realms of the imagination. It was three weeks of feasting, jousting, dancing, listening to music, competing at sports and an all round excuse to show off right royally. I would want to rock up to witness the wrestling match between Henry and François, on which the English records are strangely silent, probably because François expertly threw the proud English king to the ground with a move that came from Breton wrestlers. Let’s just say Henry was not amused, especially when François refused a re-match.
Please tell us about your published work.The second book in the series comes out on Saint Valentine’s Day which seemed very apt as one of the characters is called Valentine. Book One: A Phoenix Rising centres on Thomas Howard (grandfather of two of Henry’s queens), a remarkable man who lived to the ripe old age of eighty. As the charismatic head of the powerful Howards, he managed to weather the reigns of six kings. In the first book, we discover that the Howards made a disastrous tactical mistake by supporting King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.
In the novel, Thomas travels to Cornwall, Scotland and France where we meet four young people who are linked to one another like the threads of a tapestry.
Beware the Lizard Lurking continues the story and is again about power, ambition and love. Thomas is a keeper of secrets but there are no secrets that time does not reveal …
Amazon links:
Twitter @VivienneBreret1
Website www.viviennebrereton.com
February 9, 2021
#DoubleMirrorTour with Alison Morton and Helen Hollick
Here’s a treat! Two of my favourite authors, Alison Morton and Helen Hollick, are on a book blog tour together and I’m delighted to be hosting them today. Not only are the ladies sharing their fabulous covers and blurbs, they are giving us exclusive extracts from both books.
ALISON MORTON – DOUBLE IDENTITYDeeply in love, a chic Parisian lifestyle before her. Now she’s facing prison for murder.
It’s three days since Mel des Pittones threw in her job as an intelligence analyst with the French special forces to marry financial trader Gérard Rohlbert. But her dream turns to nightmare when she wakes to find him dead in bed beside her.
Her horror deepens when she’s accused of his murder. Met Police detective Jeff McCracken wants to pin Gérard’s death on her. Mel must track down the real killer, even if that means being forced to work with the obnoxious McCracken.
But as she unpicks her fiancé’s past, she discovers his shocking secret life. To get to the truth, she has to go undercover and finds almost everybody around her is hiding a second self. Mel can trust nobody. Can she uncover the real killer before they stop her?
A stunning new thriller from the author of the award-winning Roma Nova series, fans of Daniel Silva, Stella Rimington and Chris Pavone will love Double Identity .
EXCERPT FROM DOUBLE IDENTITYMel shivered. A cold breeze drifted over her bare backside. Dieu, the window must be open. Stupid in late November in London. But windows had been the last things on Mel’s mind last night.
Still drugged with sleep, she stretched out her hand towards Gérard’s face. His eyes were closed, the lashes resting on his pale cheeks. Too much time indoors, Mel thought and smiled. In his early morning relaxed state, Gérard looked more like a boy of seventeen than a man of thirty-seven.
Her eyelids were so heavy. She closed them. After a few seconds, she realised she wasn’t tired, just thick-headed. Opening her eyes again, she blinked hard then tugged on the duvet to cover them both against the too fresh air, but it was trapped under Gérard’s body. Never mind, she could think of a much more pleasurable way to warm up than hiding under the bedclothes. She stroked his skin with the tips of her fingers sliding over the fine brown hairs on his shoulder, then down his chest and over his stomach towards…
He didn’t stir.
He was cold. Stone cold.
No.
Then the smell hit her.
She sat up. The world spun around her. She shot her hand out onto the mattress to steady herself, then knelt beside him. Not wanting to, but knowing she had to, she stretched out her hand, two fingers close together, for the side of his throat. Nothing. She pressed harder, desperate for a sign. But he was too still and too pale. And the blue lips…
Dieu, no. Not her Gérard. Not clever, witty, vibrant Gérard. He couldn’t be gone. But she’d confirmed enough dead bodies during her military life, the last only three weeks ago in a blazing desert wadi in Africa. She sat back, shivered and pressed the palms of her hands into her eye sockets. The sourness ran up her gullet. Clamping her hand over her mouth, she stumbled to the bathroom and threw up in the pan.
***
Ambulance. She must call an ambulance.
***
She sat on the toilet seat and gulped down water from the plastic tooth mug. In the bedroom, the green-uniformed man and woman were examining Gérard. Through the gap of the almost closed door, Mel could hear them mumbling to each other. After a few minutes, they stopped talking. They were making a call, giving the hotel name.
The woman came into the bathroom. Her calm face didn’t seem as sympathetic as it had been earlier.
‘What is it?’ Mel asked.
‘We’ve had to call the police. We’ve found something and there are marks on the deceased’s body.’
‘What? Let me see!’ Mel said and leapt up.
The woman held out her plastic-gloved hand.
‘No, stay here, and don’t wash. The police will want to talk to you.’
***
‘What sort of a name is Mellysand?’
She clutched the bathrobe tighter and braced her legs to steady her balance. This was surreal. Gérard was dead and they suspected her. Why? How was she supposed to have done it? She shook her head which seemed full of mush thumping to escape.
‘It’s pronounced “Mél-i-send-uh”,’ she said. ‘And it’s the name I was given by my parents.’
‘Not very English, is it?’
Le bon Dieu save me from these parochial Brits, she thought. And this cop was even worse than most. He didn’t look like one either in his jeans, tan leather jacket, unshaven and with a single earring. But his warrant card looked genuine, and the two uniformed police outside had let him in.
‘You got any ID?’ he barked.
Mel pulled a pale turquoise and blue card with her photo and signature out of her purse and offered it to him.
‘French?’ He frowned, flicked it over to the other side, then back. ‘You don’t sound very French.’
‘That’s where I was born. My mother is English.’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Visiting friends and doing some shopping.’
‘I’ll need a list of those friends and dates.’
‘Why? Am I under suspicion?’
The cop looked down at the bed, duvet pulled back, bottom sheet stained by body fluids.
‘When there’s a dead man in your bed and you were presumably the last person to see him alive, let’s say you’re at least a person of interest.’
BUYING LINKS
Kindle:
https://mybook.to/DoubleIdentity
(ASIN: B08P5YD3CN)
For all ebook and paperback retailers: https://bit.ly/3s0XUlV
HELEN HOLLICK – A MIRROR MURDERThe first in a new series of cosy mysteries set in the 1970s… Will romance blossom between library assistant Jan Christopher and DC Laurie Walker – or will a brutal murder intervene?
Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy Friday evening in July 1971, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work. Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Laurie Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple.
But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered…
Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – and will a blossoming romance survive a police investigation into murder?
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER EIGHTEEN…I dragged myself into work on Monday. Bad enough starting a long week after what seemed a weekend of deprived sleep. I felt like death warmed up. A phrase which, as soon as it entered my head I regretted. By the time I’d stepped off the bus and hurried down Hall Lane, my throat was tight and my stomach was churning. Everyone would be asking me questions; questions I didn’t want to answer because these would belong to gossip and sensationalism, not the ‘helping with enquiries’ police kind. And then my work colleagues would be wanting to know the extra, gory, details let slip by my uncle. It would be no use insisting that he never let details slip – gory or otherwise. At the thought of it all, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to cry or vomit. Admonishing myself to pull myself together, I breathed in a few lungfuls of air, and instantly regretted it as a lorry thundered past, spewing clouds of obnoxious exhaust fumes in my direction. So much for fresh air.
I squared my shoulders and raised my head – good deportment, Aunt Madge would have said, had she been there to approve – and walked with a brisk step towards the gate to the side entrance of the library. In through the open back door. I glanced at the clock in the staff room as I hung my coat up and shoved my packed lunch of cold beef sandwiches into the refrigerator. Five minutes past nine. I was late. Smoothing my skirt, short but not so short as to receive a frown from the head librarian, Mr Hurst, or a telling-off from his deputy, Miss Pamela Bower, both of whom, I swear, still thought that women should wear Victorian-length dresses. I smiled as I slid behind the U-shaped counter and thrust my handbag onto the bottom shelf. To my relief, Mr Hurst and Miss Bower were in the office. (To be fair, we did usually call her Pamela, but I would never have dreamed of calling Mr Hurst anything else; in fact, I didn’t know his Christian name.)
The door was open, but even closed I would have heard most of what Mr Hurst was ranting on about because his voice was raised to parade ground altitude. He was shouting about being harangued by the police on a Sunday – a Sunday (his emphasis, not mine), regarding nuisance old biddies stealing – stealing – coupons from our – our – newspapers! I listened for a few minutes, one ear cocked.
“And then!” His voice was rising to a shriller indignation, “And then, the impertinent young policeman actually said – actually said – was I angry about the cut-out coupons because I wanted them! The nerve of it! To suggest that I need a shilling’s worth of food coupons!”
I grinned at Pamela’s reply.
“Don’t you mean five new pence, Mr Hurst? We went decimal back in February.”
I’m surprised he didn’t apoplectically explode, but he probably wasn’t listening to her. He rarely listened to anyone.
“If the woman was not, most conveniently, dead, I would have her arrested for theft!”
Miserable basket, I thought.
“Come to that, if I had caught her defacing our property – yes, Miss Bower, defacing our property, I would have considered killing her myself!”
BUYING LINK:
Amazon Author Page (Universal Link) http://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
ABOUT ALISONAlison Morton writes award-winning thrillers series featuring tough, but compassionate heroines. She blends her deep love of France with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, historical, adventure and thriller fiction. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history.
“Grips like a vice – a writer to watch out for” says crime thriller writer Adrian Magson about Roma Nova series starter INCEPTIO. All six full-length Roma Nova thrillers have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA and INSURRECTIO were selected as Historical Novel Society’s Indie Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.
Alison now lives in Poitou in France, where part of Double Identity is set and is writing a sequel as well as continuing her Roma Nova series.
Connect with Alison on her thriller site: https://alison-morton.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonMortonAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alison_morton @alison_morton
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/ckNeFL
ABOUT HELENHelen and her family moved from north-east London in January 2013 after finding an eighteenth-century North Devon farmhouse through BBC TV’s popular Escape To The Country show.
First accepted for publication by William Heinemann in 1993 – a week after her fortieth birthday – Helen then became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she also writes a pirate-based nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages.
Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Talesand Life of A Smuggler. She also runs Discovering Diamonds, a review blog for historical fiction. She is currently writing more Voyages for the Sea Witch series and the next in the Jan Christopher Mysteries series. She has other ideas for other tales – and would like the time to write them!
CONNECT WITH HELEN:
Website: www.helenhollick.net
Newsletter Subscription: http://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HelenHollickAuthor
Twitter: @HelenHollick
Discovering Diamonds Historical Fiction Review Blog :
Ladies, thanks so much for dropping by. I have to admit both books sound right up my street.January 4, 2021
A Conversation with Author Elizabeth Keysian
Elizabeth Keysian is an international bestselling author of heart-pounding Regency romances, set mostly in the West of England. She is working on a fresh series for Dragonblade Publishing called Trysts and Treachery, which is set in the Tudor era. Though primarily a writer of romance, she loves to put a bit of mystery, adventure, and suspense into her stories, and refuses to let her characters take themselves too seriously.
Elizabeth likes to write from experience, not easy when her works range from the medieval to the Victorian eras. However, her passion for re-enactment has helped, as have the many years she spent working in museums and British archaeology. If you find some detail in her work you’ve never come across before, you can bet she either dug it up, quite literally, or found it on a museum shelf.
Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?
I write historical fiction, essentially romances, from the High Medieval to the Victorian era, all set in England. I knew when I decided to write, it had to be romance, because I’ve always been a terrible one for getting crushes on people (I’ve grown up now, I promise!). My stories had to be historical too, because that’s what I studied, and I’ve worked in history and heritage for most of my career, so I guess that suggests I like the subject. Although I don’t write romantic comedy, I have always tried to make people chuckle, so some of my stories include moments when the characters do ridiculous things. And occasionally a reader will find funny something I never meant them to, but that’s all part of the magic of imagination.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
It most certainly has. Ever since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by British history, and loved going to castles, museums and archaeological sites. I then developed a fascination with folk traditions, folk medicine and folksong—I was even a singer in a folk band for a little while. But it wasn’t enough to be interested in the past; I wanted to LIVE it. So, having learned a bit about the English Civil War at school, I joined the Sealed Knot and had fun not only recreating Seventeenth Century battles, but also learning the language, the songs, the music and the dances of those times.
Then I became even braver, and took on the role of a Tudor person at Kentwell Hall in Suffolk, which is like live action role play, only in front of visiting schoolchildren, so you have to work really hard at being authentic in order to be convincing. It was fabulous being able to do everyday activities the same way Tudor folk used to do them; I loved cooking up feasts and simple fare, making costume, making cheese, processing and spinning wool, shooting my own longbow, performing a masque and mixing up medicines. And, of course, there was sword fighting, music, singing and dancing as well. And drinking. Just a little bit of drinking. But I swear to you, what you miss most when being a Tudor for 8-9 hours a day is a good old British cup of tea. Not permitted in front of the visitors, because of course, tea wasn’t being drunk in England in the Tudor period, nor coffee, and we had no potatoes, or tomatoes, or tobacco.
What was the best piece of writing advice you received when starting out?
That’s surprisingly easy to answer. I was working with a museum curator who wanted to be a scriptwriter. His advice was not to spend ages agonising over your work, but to just get it down on paper, even if you thought you were writing rubbish. He felt that editing as you go slowed down the creative process too much, and I find I agree. But if you are going to write like that, and get the story down before you edit, it’s a good idea to have planned everything meticulously in advance.
If you weren’t an author, what would you be up to?
Well, I’m too plagued by chronic illnesses to return to work, sadly, so if I wasn’t writing, I’d be pursuing my hobbies. I have a lot of family history research to do; admittedly, being able to get back as far as a Scandinavian royal family that traces its origins back to Odin is quite impressive. However, some more recent ancestors are proving most elusive, so I’d love to fill in the gaps in the family tree.
I also have many craft activities I have always been meaning to get around to, only I never have the time. I am so naughty—I buy kits to make things and then never do. I should be making lace, weaving a little basket, making a corn dolly and enamelling copper jewellery made by my father to make it more appealing to modern tastes. I also need to get on with my bookbinding; I have several antiquarian books I bought as “projects” and I still have all the kit. So, I guess you could say if I took time out from writing, I’d be a lady of (creative) leisure.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
When you’re an archaeologist, you’re never far away from the material culture of your ancestors. So, I was influenced by this, and the fact I spent 7 years living on a former Knights Templar site in Essex called Cressing Temple. It was essentially a massive farm back in the medieval period, raising crops to sell and fund the Knights when they went on crusade. The two early thirteenth century barns built by the Templars remain to this day. I was very much influenced by all I learned and experienced on that site, and have used it to provide a context for my current Tudor romance, LORD OF MISTRUST, which is set in the 1550s, after the Temple had ceased to be a religious site.
Following their hearts could destroy the monarchy
Headstrong Chloe dresses as a boy and runs away to her birth mother to escape a horrendous marriage. She’s shocked to discover that her parent owns a bawdy house, and is in no position to help – nor will she reveal the identity of Chloe’s father. When a street accident throws Chloe into the lap of the tempting Robert Mallory, he offers distraction and adventure, but his stubborn refusal to trust her endangers them both.
Hot-headed Robert Mallory is battling to protect his sister, his livelihood, and his honor. He’s a spy who can’t follow the rules and distrusts everyone, particularly the delectable young woman from the bordello. Having endangered her, then rescued her from a nest of traitors, he learns that Chloe is the natural daughter of the one man he can’t afford to upset, Sir Mortimer Fowler. Offering marriage to save Chloe’s reputation is out of the question, as Fowler needs her for bait in a deadly trap.
Robert is faced with an impossible choice. He’s desperate to save Chloe, but if he follows his heart, the security of the entire realm is at risk.
Buy Link: http://mybook.to/mistrust
If you would like to know more about Elizabeth and her work, please check out her links below:
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/cxe369
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Keysian/e/B06VVL9JMB/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizKeysian/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elizabeth-keysian
Website: https://elizabethkeysian.com/
December 28, 2020
Golden Squirrel 2020 Indie Book Awards
Footprints in the Sand wins a silver medal for best mystery in the Book Squirrel 2020 Awards
Book Squirrel announced the third annual Golden Squirrel Independent Book Awards on December 28th, 2020.
These are the books or series that Book Squirrel has deemed the best in their genre from those read and reviewed on this blog in 2020.
This is not a voting or popularity contest. It’s entirely subjective, based on Book Squirrel’s excellent taste.Book Squirrel has been as fair and impartial as a squirrel can be in awarding the winners witha2020Golden Squirrel Gold or Silver Award.
There is a Gold and Silver award given by genre, and an award for Book of the Year.
Best Children’s Books
Ronaldo and the Flying Reindeer Academy by Maxine Sylvester
Lucy Evans Instaexplorer: Dragons Rock by Millie Slavidou
Best YA Fantasy
Mya by Missy Sheldrake
Miss Mabel’s School for Girls by Katie Cross
Best YA…
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December 18, 2020
A Conversation with Catherine Meyrick
You are very welcome, Catherine, please introduce yourself:
Hi Pam, thank you for inviting me.
I am an Australian writer with a love of history. I grew up on the outskirts of Ballarat, a large regional city about 70 miles from Melbourne, one of the first places where gold was discovered in the early 1850s. In many ways, history is a constant presence in Ballarat from the fine 19th century buildings and the wide streets (the main street is wide enough to turn a bullock team) to the Eureka Stockade, an armed rebellion by gold miners objecting to the cost of a miner’s licence, seen basically as taxation without representation. It ultimately resulted in the Victorian Electoral Act 1856 which mandated adult male suffrage.
I moved to Melbourne when I was seventeen to study as a nurse and have lived here ever since. Nursing wasn’t really my calling so I dropped out and went to university where I took a double major in History. I then joined the Public Service and while working full-time completed a MA in History and later Librarianship qualifications. Until recently I was a customer service librarian at my local library – the person you come to when you want your questions answered, such as where to find that book you borrowed two years ago but can’t remember the name of (an easy one to answer). I am also an obsessive genealogist and have managed to identify previously unknown family members and clear up mysteries using both traditional document-based methods and DNA.
I enjoyed ‘composition’ when I was at school and making up stories to scare my sister but usually ended up scaring myself more. Through my twenties, I wrote bits and pieces, mainly poetry and short stories that ended up in the bin whenever I moved house. I started writing in earnest when my first child was born (she is now 30) and once the children were at secondary school, I started taking writing courses. About ten years ago I climbed on the rollercoaster of agents and publishers and submissions. I ended up with an agent and a tentative offer of epublishing but, in the end, thought I could do better by myself so I independently published my first novel in as both an ebook and paperback in 2018.
Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?
I write historical fiction with romantic elements mainly because I love history, think relationships are an important element of human life and prefer stories with a satisfactory ending.
I come from a family where history was important. My father read a lot of historical fiction and my mother biographies of historical figures. Mum would often read out interesting or amusing snippets from the books she was reading. She was also a meticulous family researcher and her stories about her forbears made these long dead people real, not just names attached to dates and locations. When we stayed with our grandparents, as they had no television, evenings were spent in front of the fire listening to the adults talking and telling stories. My grandfather was a great storyteller and he often told tales about his childhood and his family in a way that brought the past to life. When I started on my first novel, I never considered writing about the present. I feel that, perhaps, I understand the past better than the present.
The first historical novel I clearly remember reading was The Flight of the Heron by DK Broster, a thirteenth birthday present from my father. The books that I remember clearly from my teens are all historical – These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, A Spy of Napoleon by Baroness Orczy, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (read at fourteen over three nights in the middle of a school week). The only other book that stands out is The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer – my mother went halves in the cost but never took her turn reading. I still have these books which might indicate that I am a bit of a book hoarder.
I found that I was usually more interested in the subplots involving fictional characters than the reimagined lives of the big names in the novels I read. My novels so far have been about fictional Elizabethan women of the middling sort set against the upheavals of the times. I believe that the people of the past, while they held some attitudes that we now find objectionable, were in many ways like we are today with similar hopes and longings, and a desire to have some say in their own lives. For most ordinary women relationships were important, few occupations were open to them with marriage and household management the usual life path. The choice of a spouse, a matter over which most did not have a complete say, was of critical importance. It could mean the difference between a contented life or one of misery and discord. For this reason, the path to and through marriage plays an important role in my stories – the ‘romantic’ element set in what I hope is a reasonably authentic background.
Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
I have read for pleasure nearly every day since my teens, and before that our father read to us every night. It is a sure sign that a book is not working for me if I decide sleep is a better option than reading. I will read nearly anything provided the story is engrossingly told, although I do tend to read mainly historical fiction. Looking at what I have read this year, most of it has been historical fiction except for a couple of murder mysteries, a verse novel, a memoir and my lockdown comfort reading of Tove Jansson’s Moomins series. These days I am more likely to read biographies of historical figures, particularly those who are well known, than fictional retellings of their lives. Gareth Russell’s biography of Catherine Howard, Young and Damned and Fair, is better and more comprehensive than any novel I have read about Catherine. I think this is partly because biographical fiction must be selective and take a position and I end up having internal ‘discussions’ with the author about why they have a different interpretation from mine and that does tend to pull me out of the story – not a good thing with fiction and definitely not the author’s fault. Pausing and thinking about the topic sits more easily with reading non-fiction. While not discounting the brilliance of Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light and Dairmaid MacCulloch’s Thomas Cromwell: A Life, my most enjoyable read this year has been A Murder by Any Name by Suzanne M Wolfe, a murder mystery set in and around the court of Elizabeth I – suspenseful, humorous and compassionate with a delightful fictional main character and a massive Irish wolfhound called Hector!
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
All of it!
My writing goes through many, many drafts. Each draft has its own pains and difficulties. I begin with a rough plan – a beginning, ideas for some middle scenes, the ending. I write the first draft longhand then reread and scribble notes all over it. I type all that up, struggling occasionally to read my handwriting and, sometimes, being lazy, leave scenes in note form rather than fleshing them out. What I end up with is really a comprehensive plan of the novel as so many aspects of it still require development. This is where the real work begins and I think, for me, this is the most difficult stage. I have to confront the purpose of every scene and the actions of the characters, incorporate the ideas from my notes and bring in all the senses. And the only way to do this is to sit down and force myself to plod on even if it feels like I am writing rubbish. But at the end of each day, I usually have at least a few decently written paragraphs finished. It is here that I find the magic starts to happen – unplanned but important characters spring to life fully formed, insights into characters’ behaviour and motivation become clear, extra unplanned but necessary scenes take form. These usually appear not when I am at my desk, but out walking alone, taking a shower, gardening or even scrubbing the front step.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
When I started out, I had to fit my writing around work and family responsibilities so I generally wrote at the end of the day, once everyone else had settled in for the night. I still find that I can work quite well late at night but I am most productive if I can get up early, before anyone else is around except the cat. I concentrate better moving straight from sleeping to writing. If I can put in three to four solid hours before even thinking about the day’s problems, I feel I have done well. That leave the afternoons for the messy and confusing social media and business tasks as well as my other job of domestic manager.
You have been chosen as a member of the crew on the first one-way flight to Mars – you are allowed to bring 5 books with you. What would they be?
I suppose as this is a flight to Mars, weight is important so I can’t include the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett and argue that they are a single item – it is five books but really only one long story. So my five would be
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Scarlett O’Hara. Need I say more?
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman: The story of Joanna, illegitimate daughter of King John, who married Llewelyn, Prince of Gwenydd (north Wales) in 1205.
Wintercombe by Pamela Belle: Silence St Barbe, the young wife of an older Parliamentary officer, has to deal with danger and her own personal conflicts when Royalist soldiers occupy her house during the English Civil War.
Harp in the South by Ruth Park: The story of a struggling working-class family in Sydney just after World War 2. This is a much-loved Australian classic. I have a copy which includes the sequel, Poor Man’s Orange, so I am counting this as a single book.
The Once and Future King by TH White: An enthralling retelling of the Arthurian legend told with both wit and warmth.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
The Bridled Tongue follows the life of Alyce Bradley as she adjusts to an arranged marriage and faces the long-buried resentments her marriage stirs up.
‘ Death and life are in the power of the tongue.’
England 1586.
Alyce Bradley has few choices when her father decides it is time she marry as many refuse to see her as other than the girl she once was–unruly, outspoken and close to her grandmother, a woman suspected of witchcraft.
Thomas Granville, an ambitious privateer, inspires fierce loyalty in those close to him and hatred in those he has crossed. Beyond a large dowry, he is seeking a virtuous and dutiful wife. Neither he nor Alyce expect more from marriage than mutual courtesy and respect.
As the King of Spain launches his great armada and England braces for invasion, Alyce must confront closer dangers from both her own and Thomas’s past, threats that could not only destroy her hopes of love and happiness but her life. And Thomas is powerless to help.
Book link
If you would like to know more about Catherine and her work please see her social media links below:
Website: catherinemeyrick.com
Twitter: @cameyrick1
Facebook: CatherineMeyrickAuthor
Instagram: catherinemeyrickhistorical
Pinterest: catherinemeyrick15
December 8, 2020
New Release from Sharon Thompson
Sharon Thompson is a best-selling, Irish author who writes historical novels, with plenty of criminal elements for Bloodhound Books UK. When she is not plotting gritty manuscripts (like ‘The Abandoned’ and ‘The Healer’) Sharon enjoys conjuring light-hearted short stories for magazines like Woman’s Way. Living in rural Donegal, Sharon loves binge-watching movies and TV programmes, walking on the beach with her dog, and making time for coffee or a glass of wine with friends. An avid tweeter, Sharon runs a trending tweet-chat #WritersWise, and can be found online, chatting on messenger or typing out a new idea. ‘The Quiet Truth’ is due for release on 9th Dec 2020. Sharon has also signed with Poolbeg Books Ireland. Her historical, crime novel called ‘The Murdering Wives Club’ from the Sinful Roses series will launch in January 2021.
The Quiet Truth
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Can love really conquer all? When Charlie Quinn returns to Northern Ireland, having spent sixty years in Canada, the people he left behind are shocked to see him. They presumed he was dead.
But Charlie has come back for one reason, Ella, the love of his life and a notorious child murderer. She is back in the headlines and Charlie wants the truth to finally emerge.
As he looks back at his life, we learn that nothing is as it seems.
Is Ella really a killer?
Does Charlie know more than it appears?
And can two lost souls get to live happily ever after?
Life isn’t easy. But death is the most challenging thing of all…
Buy Links for The Quiet Truth
A Conversation with Author Elizabeth St. John
Here’s a little bit about Elizabeth:
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Elizabeth St.John spends her time between California, England, and the past. An acclaimed author, historian, and genealogist, she has tracked down family papers and residences from Lydiard Park and Nottingham Castle to Richmond Palace and the Tower of London to inspire her novels. Although the family sold a few country homes along the way (it’s hard to keep a good castle going these days), Elizabeth’s family still occupy them in the form of portraits, memoirs, and gardens that carry their legacy. And the occasional ghost. But that’s a different story.
Having spent a significant part of her life with her seventeenth-century family while writing The Lydiard Chronicles trilogy and Counterpoint series, Elizabeth St.John is now discovering new family stories with her fifteenth-century namesake Elysabeth St.John Scrope, and her half-sister, Margaret Beaufort.
Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?
I have always loved history and my favourite books growing up were The Children of the New Forest, The Secret Garden and, of course, The Chronicles of Narnia. The ability to travel through time to discover adventures and people that face the very same challenges we do – who fall in love, fight in wars, raise families and form life-long friendships – creates a thread through the centuries that I find incredibly reassuring and inspiring. Whether kings and queens, or commoners and those whose voices are seldom heard, I am fascinated by the human stories that lie under the surface of the historical facts.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
Without a doubt, my family. I’m really fortunate to have a colourful and well-documented family history, and so my stories are inspired by my ancestors. At the same time, my mum was a voracious reader, and some of my earliest memories are of our trips to the library and talking of books. My daughter is a gifted storyteller and editor, and she has been such a great sounding board as I embarked on this career late in life. My husband listens patiently and takes care of all the 21st century chores when I’m deep in a book, and my brother and sister-in-law have clambered over more ruined castles and tramped through more muddy fields than I could possibly number in the pursuit of long-lost St.Johns.
What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? How do you overcome it?
That’s actually changed over time. When I wrote my first book, The Lady of the Tower, I’d been carrying the story around inside me for so long, that filling the empty page was easy and editing every precious word was agony. Now, I love editing and find writing the first draft the most challenging, especially starting out. I have to have a stern word with myself to just get the words down and remind myself that I don’t have to share this rubbish with anyone else! Once I’m going, then it starts to flow.
Do you have a favourite time of day to write?
I prefer early morning, before the day catches up with me and mind fills up with all the other distractions that can break concentration. But I have taught myself a discipline that I can block two hours at any time and shut out the world. I actually enjoy writing on flights (I used to travel frequently before lock-down) – unless there’s a good movie or two I haven’t seen. After all, I may find inspiration for a hero in Henry Cavill, right?
You have been chosen as a member of the crew on the first one-way flight to Mars – you are allowed to bring 5 books with you. What would they be?
Well, because they’re on my kindle, I’m going to cheat and bring a couple of collections. My worst nightmare would be running out of things to read.
The Lord of the Rings, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Collected Stories of Dylan Thomas, Outlander and Wolf Hall.
Please tell us about your latest published work.
I wanted to share the second book in The Lydiard Chronicles, By Love Divided. Set against the backdrop of the English Civil War, I was really inspired during my research to discover how my family managed to keep their deep love for each other intact, even when fighting for opposing beliefs. Perhaps this gives us a little hope in the conflict we are encountering in today’s world.
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London, 1630. Widowed and destitute, Lucy St.John is fighting for survival and makes a terrible choice to secure a future for her children. Worse still, her daughter Luce rejects the royal court and a wealthy arranged marriage and falls in love with a charismatic soldier. As England tumbles toward bloody civil war, Luce’s beloved brother Allen chooses to fight for the king as a cavalier. Allen and Luce are swept up in the chaos of war as they defend their opposing causes and protect those they love.
Will war unite or divide them? And will they find love and a home to return to—if they survive the horror of civil war. In the dawn of England’s great rebellion, love is the final battleground.
A true story based on surviving memoirs, court papers, and letters of my family, By Love Divided continues the story of Lucy St.John, the Lady of the Tower. This powerfully emotional novel tells of England’s great divide and the heart-wrenching choices one family faces.
Links:
By Love Divided
Universal: https://books2read.com/u/3kpQYg
Amazon: https://geni.us/MyBookBLD
If you would like to know more about Elizabeth and her work, please follow the links below:
Follow me on Twitter @ElizStJohn
Facebook: Elizabeth J StJohn
Website: elizabethjstjohn.com
November 23, 2020
The Sign of the Blood: Blog Tour
Today I am delighted to host Laurence O’Bryan on the last stop of his blog tour for The Sign of the Blood.
Firstly, a little bit about Laurence …
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My roots go back to a small estate deep in the Mountains of Mourne near the Silent Valley, in County Down, Northern Ireland.
I went to school in Dublin, drank way too much, studied English and history, then business, then IT at Oxford University.
My research has taken me all over the world, from San Francisco to deep in the Muslim world. There are secrets everywhere. I enjoy writing about them. I hope you enjoy reading about them.
You can connect with Laurence on Twitter
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Laurence, you have an amazing series of books set in the Roman era. Please tell us a little about them.
I spent twenty years studying Roman history and reading every book about Constantine the Great I could find. I also visited numerous sites where my Roman series is set, including in London, where I lived for ten years, Jerusalem, Rome, Trier, York, Nicomedia and Istanbul.
The first novel in the series, The Sign of The Blood, is about the rise to power of Constantine the Great, the women who helped him, and the others who wanted him dead.
The Road to The Bridge, the second novel in the series, is about the lead up to the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. and how Constantine the Great lured Maxentius, his rival emperor, out of Rome.
The third novel in the series, The Cursed City, is about the dedication of New Rome, later to be called Constantinople, and how Constantine fell out with his wife, Fausta, and his son Crispus, and what he had to do to survive.
To join the mailing list and receive news of these books use this link: http://bit.ly/TSOTBseries
And now, a treat; an extract from The Sign of the Blood:
Gesoriacum, northern Gaul, 306 A.D
In the stone palace of the governor of Gesoriacum news of the arrival of Constantine, son of the Emperor of the west, spread as quickly as if a war horn had sounded from the town gatehouse. Excited whispering spread from the flag stoned palace kitchen to the wooden lookout towers. Even the rats, who outnumbered every other living thing, by far, knew something was happening.
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The Emperor, Constantius Chlorus, Constantine’s father, was busy with matters of state, meeting his Legates and other senior officers. The meeting, in the basilica, the largest hall in the palace complex by the port, had begun to bore him. The arrival of his son at the south facing town gate, notified to him by an excited messenger, gave him the opportunity he’d been waiting for to end the meeting.
“We will finish,” he said. He waved dismissively at the officers around him. “We will come back to planning how to eradicate the Picts tomorrow.”
“Crocus, you wait behind.” Crocus was the commander of his Alemanni cavalry, auxiliaries who followed their own customs, but were sworn to fight for Rome.
The chandelier with fifty candles, hanging by a chain from the central wooden beam, swayed a little as the double height doors swung open and the salty wind from the sea swept in.
The Emperor, Chlorus, was in his mid fifties. His hair was gray, but still thick. His beard well-cropped. His iron-gray eyes were shadowed by heavy brows. For military briefings, such as the one he’d just been conducting, he still wore his old soot-black chain-mail shirt with the two large medallions from his most illustrious campaigns secured in position above his heart.
From Chlorus’ leather legionaries’ belt hung an ordinary legionaries’ dagger, the only weapon he ever wore these days. It signified his roots as an ordinary legionary. A purple cloak hung in drapes down his back. He was sturdy, fit for his years, and tall like his son, and he wore his prestige like a second invisible cloak. Almost everyone in the town knew that he had, against great odds, reunited the western Empire since his elevation to the rank of Caesar fourteen years before. And the officers he commanded, who were filing out of the room, knew exactly how he had achieved his success.
Crocus waited. Braziers around the oak map table they’d been standing around kept the chill from the cloak-penetrating sea breezes at bay. The gray spume flecked channel that separated Gaul from Britannia, from which the breezes came, could be seen from two small grilled windows at the end of the room. Crocus went to warm himself by one of the braziers. The Emperor joined him.
“You hadn’t much to say.”
“You know my opinion about those officers, Emperor. They make my blood run to ice. Did you not hear them? They think logic wins wars.” He rubbed at his beard. The matted hairs would not be cut until their Summer campaign had ended.
“And they all know what you think of them.”
Crocus made a noise like an animal growling.
“But you’re right, they are an innocent bunch, though even you must have been young once. Us two, we make the real decisions, you know that.”
Silence flooded the hall.
“It’s your son, isn’t it?” Crocus seemed very sure of himself.
The Emperor looked around, as if examining the legionary banners that hung from the walls for the first time. “Perhaps I will find him a post as a senior Tribune.”
He paused, turned to Crocus. “I hear his experience is with cavalry. Do you have room for another officer?”
Crocus’s expression didn’t change.
He knows the art of hiding his real feelings.
“Whatever you wish, my Lord. I am sure he’s won many laurels. You must be proud of him. The stories in the taverns about him get more incredible every night.” Crocus passed a hand over the warm coals as if testing how hot they were.
“If half what they say is true, he’s the type who’ll be looking for a good post.” Crocus sniffed. “But I’m not sure if our cavalry unit is big enough for his aspirations. He’s the right age to lead a whole Legion, isn’t he? The younger the better, I always say.” He looked at the Emperor, a slightly quizzical expression on his face.
He knows how I resent getting old.
“He’s the right age, all right,” Chlorus answered. He put a hand over the coals to test their warmth as well. “But he’s been away a long time. I once thought we might never see him again. And do you know, I have no idea why Galerius released him. That toad never acts unless there’s something in it for him.”
“I have no idea what he wants, Emperor.”
“Neither do I. That’s the problem.”.
He looked around, checking to ensure no one else had remained in the hall without them noticing. There was no one to be seen. The heavy studded doors had been closed from the outside by his Imperial guards, and the long hall was quiet except for a faint crackling from the braziers. Thin lines of smoke curled up from them to disappear high among the blackened rafters.
“May I speak openly, Emperor?”
“Yes, speak your mind.”
Both Crocus’s hands were testing the heat of the brazier now.
“Five years we’ve fought together, my Lord. We’ve cut off Frankish raiding parties and we threw back two hungry tribes who wished to take the best Roman estates at the edge of our territories. I won my place at your right hand through my skill in battle, and in leading my men to victory, but I hold my place now through my wit in understanding the men around me. Is that not so?” He waited for the Emperor to reply.
“It is.”
“Well, I must tell you this. Every spring my daughter asks why I must go away and fight for you Romans again, and every year I tell her we are accumulating booty and fighting to secure the peace of a great Empire and our place in it.” He stood up even straighter and pushed his chest out.
“But every year the booty gets smaller, and as for peace, it’s as far away as ever. These Picts,” he spat the word out, “What gold will they have? A few torcs and bracelets that when melted down won’t even pay my men for a month’s fighting. We need rich cities to plunder, Emperor. How else can we get ready for when our axe hands grow weak and our daughters look for dowries?”
The Emperor’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Tell your daughter we have plans for another ten years of campaigns. After Caledonia we will take Hibernia and then . . .” He waited, weighing the effect his words were having. “The forests of the Franks. There’ll be little gold I know in all of this, but there’ll be land we can farm, and tribespeople for our slave trade. We will allocate these new lands to all who fight with us when the task is done, and I promise you, your tribe will be granted enough to easily pay the dowries of a hundred daughters.”
Crocus shrugged indifferently.
“There are many risks to every plan, Emperor. You know this. The greatest threats arise around our own camp fires, even from our own hearths.” His hands went out, palm up, in a gesture of finality.
“You cannot think Constantine is a threat already!” The Emperor laughed. He’d thought about it, but he wouldn’t give Crocus the satisfaction of knowing any of his fears.
“Not a threat, Emperor.” Crocus replied. “But you must know if we give him a senior position in the cavalry he’ll quickly earn the loyalty of his men. You know that. Even if he’s half as good as they say, he’ll get respect for who he is, for being your son. And then he’ll want more. And he’ll have some of our best as his blood brothers then. Who knows what he’ll aspire to. Do you?”
“So how do you suggest I deal with him Crocus, and remember he’s not Hannibal arriving at our gates with his elephants.”
How far did Crocus think he should go?
“When a son comes of age for position in our tribe, Emperor, he either fights his father, submits to his father’s every wish, or he is banished.” His tone dropped. “And do you know which what is the most difficult way for a father? Winning.” He pointed a finger at the Emperor. “Being the victor if the fighting path is chosen. Sacrificing a son is not easy but the price of power was always high.”
The Emperor didn’t reply. His silence hung in the room.
“All I say is that you must consider what even the dogs know, the cubs of the strongest want themselves to be the strongest. It is only natural. Your son will pick his path, if you do not pick it for him.” Crocus braced himself on the flag stoned floor, his feet shifting wider. “If you need services from me, Emperor, any service at all, I am your loyal servant.” He bowed his head slightly.
The Emperor knew at once what he was referring to. Crocus had arranged for two disaffected officers to disappear in the past twelve months and he dealt with local disaffection quickly. All that made him useful.
“I know what the dogs know, but I am no Agamemnon. No sacrifice has been demanded of me. If there’s no room for him in your cavalry, I’ll not force him on you. Go now, fetch him here. Fetch Constantine, I will greet him publicly.”
Crocus saluted, turned and strode away.
The Emperor stared into the glowing embers of the brazier. Was Crocus right? Would Constantine be a danger, not a support? No, he had to give his son a chance.
Bloody Alemanni succession rituals. They are not the Roman way. Constantine had survived the east. He deserved a place with his father. He remembered the tall adoring youth he’d sent away, against every familial feeling, to Diocletian’s palace many years before. Now he should make amends.
No. That would only make his son soft. He remembered his long ago promises. You have nothing to fear. That was all lies. So, did he still feel guilty? Was that why he was so wound up by his son’s arrival? Does he bring back too many memories of his mother. The dismal Helena.
He’d have to make provision for her now.
She could move back to Treveris, now that he’d vacated the city. He would notify her. But would she want to come and visit Constantine? That would be interesting, especially if Theodora got to hear about it all.
Old wives and new rarely get on well in Imperial circles.
As he walked down the flag-stoned corridor lined with small busts of the great Emperors the aching pain in his stomach returned. Cursing the sickness that had reduced his nights to sleeplessness and dull pain, he held the palm of his hand firm against the pit of his stomach.
Prepare for everything.
That was what Diocletian always used to say, whenever he’d been asked for advice.
And he’d almost decided what to do about Constantine. He just needed answers to a few questions. Why had Galerius released Constantine at this time?
The ache in his stomach felt worse as he considered it all.
For years, he’d imagined helping his son when he returned, and now that time had arrived, the idea suddenly seemed unwise. Why was that? He’d striven hard not to spoil the boy? Had he gone too far?
He stopped, leaned a hand against the red brick wall, sniffed. He could smell salt. Salt and damp. Decay taints every crevice in this place. It’s even in the plaster. It never survives too long on this coast. He rubbed the wall. A small crimson coated piece crumbled into his hand. He examined it, looked at its perfect shiny skin and then its fragile powdery underside.
Why was everything so flimsy, so fleeting, every shiny victory so soon forgotten, every pleasure gone so soon after the moment it was felt, while all around the wolves stalked, waiting for their opportunity?
He’d fought his way up only to find his greatest task now was to thwart others who tried to follow his example. Powdery ash trickled through his fingers, drifting to the foot polished floor.
Everything would be different now that his son had arrived. He’d known that, felt it instinctively, since he’d first heard Constantine was coming. But did that mean Constantine would be the wolf? How would he know?
The last piece of the plaster crumbled though his fingers and fell to the floor.
Laurence, thanks so much for sharing this extract and visiting my blog today. Wishing you the very best of luck with your series.
November 18, 2020
A Conversation with Author Tim Walker
Today in the Library we have Tim Walker, who has dropped in to say hello and to share some insights into his life as an author.
You are very welcome, Tim, please tell us about yourself.
Thank you for inviting me, Pam. I’m an independent author living near Windsor in the UK. I grew up in Liverpool where I began my working life as a trainee reporter on a local newspaper. After attaining a degree in Communication Studies, I moved to London where I worked in the newspaper publishing industry for ten years before relocating to Zambia where, following a period of voluntary work with VSO in educational book publishing development, I set up my own marketing and publishing business, launching, managing and editing a construction industry magazine and a business newspaper.
My creative writing journey began in earnest in 2013, as a therapeutic activity whilst undergoing and recovering from cancer treatment. I began writing an historical fiction novella, Abandoned, following a visit to the nearby site of a former Roman town, publishing in 2015 (revised and extended in 2018). This would become book one in a series, A Light in the Dark Ages. The aim of the series is to connect the end of Roman Britain to elements of the Arthurian legend, presenting an imagined history of Britain in the fifth and early sixth centuries. Now there are five books in the series, published between 2015 – 2020.
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My latest novel, published in June 2020, is Arthur Rex Brittonum, a re-imagining of the story of King Arthur (book five in the series). It received a Highly Recommended commendation by the Coffee Pot Book Club in June 2020. It follows on from 2019’s Arthur Dux Bellorum, the story of a youthful Arthur (book four in the series), that received recognition from two sources in 2019 – One Stop Fiction Book of the Month in April, and an honourable mention in the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year (Historical Fiction) Awards. The series starts with Abandoned, followed by Ambrosius: Last of the Romans (2017); then book three, Uther’s Destiny (2018). Series book covers are designed by Canadian graphic artist, Cathy Walker.
I have also written two books of short stories, Thames Valley Tales (2015), and Postcards from London (2017); a dystopian thriller, Devil Gate Dawn (2016); Perverse (verse and short fiction, 2020); and a three-book children’s series, co-authored with my daughter, Cathy – The Adventures of Charly Holmes (2017); Charly & The Superheroes (2018) and Charly in Space (2020).
Which genre do you write in and what draws you to it?
I have always enjoyed reading historical fiction, ever since I read with fascination Rosemary Sutcliffe’s Eagle of the Ninth, as a teenager. It is not surprising, then, that my first attempts at creative writing were the short stories that make up my first book, Thames Valley Tales. Many of these tales evoke the rich history and legends associated with places beside England’s longest river. I visited Silchester (formerly the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum) for a walk in 2014 and pondered the question, “what would the reaction of the Britons have been to the Roman withdrawal on or before the year 410 AD?” This started me off researching and writing a short story, Abandoned, that grew to a 20,000 word novella. I revisited this novella in 2018 and added in new characters and material to extend it to a 50,000 novel. My love of history and the magic of creating a world and breathing life into my characters meant that historical fiction was the genre that chose me.
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Are you an avid reader? Do you prefer books in your own genre or are you happy to explore others?
Yes. I read, review and move onto the next book. I enjoy reading historical fiction, not just in the period I write in, but in other historical periods, such as the Tudor era where I’m enjoying SJ Parris’s Bruno Giordiano series. I recently read a more recent historical fiction novel, Joseph Kanon’s The Good German, set in post-War Berlin, and enjoyed his skilful creation of period detail, with engaging and memorable characters. There’s always something to learn from reading other author’s fiction.
Are you a self-published/traditional or hybrid author?
I am a self-published author and have only once made an attempt to find a publishing agent. I quickly gave up and concentrated on self-publishing. This feels natural to me, given my publishing background, and I enjoy the technical aspects like formatting paperbacks and e-books and loading to a platform. The only services I buy in are proof-reading, copy editing and cover design. Everything else, including marketing, advertising and sales, I do myself.
Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
I guess my biggest influence is from the historical books of Bernard Cornwell. I’m pleased that I was well into book two in my series before I read Cornwell’s The Winter King – his story of Arthur and book one in a three-book series, The Warlord Chronicles. I absolutely loved this novel, and would have felt defeated if I not already mapped out my own series and was well on the way. I have since completed his series, and thoroughly enjoyed it – soon to be a TV series I hear on social media. I admire his style of writing – less literary and more action and adventure, but with enough complexity to challenge the reader. I think his storytelling has had an unconscious influence on me, and certainly inspires me. I had found a successful author I can aspire to, and whose approach is close to what I’m trying to achieve. I had already set my stall out before ‘discovering’ his Warlord Chronicles series, honest! I was just pleased to find a top quality example of where I want to be.
Has your country of origin/culture influenced your writing?
Yes, enormously. I have always been enthralled by the history of England and whilst experimenting with creative writing when doing an online creative writing course in 2013, was instinctively drawn to creating stories around historical locations, events or characters. I was fascinated to find that the site of the Roman town of Calleva was only 40 miles from where I live, and I have often popped over there for a walk and to feel the call of history. I get value from my English Heritage membership, and my most recent expedition was to Hadrian’s Wall where I planned a whirlwind tour of five Roman museums and sites over two days. I’m fascinated by Roman Britain and am still reading history books about it.
What was the best piece of writing advice you received when starting out?
Given my journalism background, I was instantly comfortable with ‘write what you know’ and the whole area of researching your subject matter. The switch from factual writing to fiction was interesting and refreshing, but not that difficult. In my first novel, Devil Gate Dawn, I put a lot of my own life experience into my main character, George Osborne. This definitely helps to make your character believable, realistic and relatable to your readers.
Please tell us about your latest published work
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My latest book is Arthur Rex Brittonum, published in June 2020, the fifth and final part of my series, A Light in the Dark Ages. I feel a great sense of relief and achievement in completing a series that covers a little-known period in British history due to the paucity of verifiable evidence. We know that the Romans left around the year 410 AD, and that Saint Augustine baptised the first Anglo-Saxon King in 599 AD, but what happened between these dates? These are the years in which Geoffrey of Monmouth, who published his History of the Kings of Britain around the year 1139, tells us that Constantine, Vortigern, Ambrosius Aurelianus, Uther and Arthur were kings. Historians have been unable to find solid evidence to verify their existence. It remains in the realm of legend, until such a time as archaeologists uncover new finds or lost manuscripts are found. I have rolled up my sleeves and written about these characters, building to the life of King Arthur, who may have died at the Battle of Camlann around the year 539 AD (according to historians who have attempted to date entries in the Welsh Annals that record two key battles that may have involved a real, historical Arthur).
Amazon universal link for paperback and Kindle: http://mybook.to/ArthurRex
Amazon universal link for the book series: http://mybook.to/DarkAgesSeries
E-books also available for Kobo, i-books, Nook and other platforms: https://books2read.com/ap/ngjpb2/Tim-N-Walker
If you would like to know more about Tim and his work, please check out his social media links below:
http://www.timwalkerwrites.co.uk
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/678710.Tim_Walker
Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/TimWalkerWrites
Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/TimWalkerWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/timwalker1666
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