Alex Marchant's Blog, page 29
June 17, 2018
Local #Booklaunch event, Cobbles & Clay, Haworth, West Yorkshire, 30 June
I will be having a local launch event for The Order of the White Boar and The King’s Man deep in the heart of Bronte Country on the morning of Saturday 30th June.
If you’re anywhere near Haworth in West Yorkshire in two weeks time, do call in and say hello! 
The event will be at the popular Cobbles & Clay cafe on the famous Main Street of the Bronte village, kicking off at 10.30 till 12.30. I’ll be selling and signing books and reading from them, and running a small colouring competition for children.
https://www.cobblesandclay.co.uk/
And there will be cake! 
What’s not to like? 
Details can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/225096158255054/
Hope to see you there!
myBook.to/WhiteBoar and mybook.to/TheKingsMan
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June 8, 2018
Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey by Jennifer C. Wilson – Happy Publication Day!
Have you ever had a moment when you think: ‘I wish I’d had that idea!’
That was how I felt when I first came across the first Kindred Spirits novel by fellow Ricardian author Jennifer C. Wilson. It’s such a clever premise – the idea that, not only do ghosts hang around places that were significant to them in their lifetimes, but they also have to share some of those places with other ghosts. And build relationships with them because, you know, you’re tied to that place for – well, for eternity perhaps.
And what if that significant place is also significant in history – and to very many other historical figures?
The Tower of London, for example. Almost a thousand years of history. And right in the centre of politics and government for much of that time. That’s a lot of people…
And two of the most famous (infamous?) historical people associated with the Tower have to be King Richard III and Anne Boleyn – in very different ways and very different times in history. So what happens if they strike up a friendship?
As Jen says, ‘In the Kindred Spirits series, we meet the ghosts of historical characters, in a range of contemporary settings. Have you ever wondered what Richard III and Anne Boleyn might have in common, or what happens when the visitors leave some of the most popular attractions in the country? Well, here’s your chance!’
See what I mean? A great idea – and you could have such fun with it. As Jennifer does. So much fun, in fact that she couldn’t resist doing it all again – this time on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Different country, different faces.
But today, Jen is back in London – or at least Westminster (I could go all medieval and insist it’s a different city – but let’s face it, few enough see it as that nowadays…). For today is publication day for her latest instalment – Kindred Spirits: Westminster Abbey – another ancient place full of fascinating characters just waiting to interact for your delectation…
As the blurb says:
‘With over three thousand burials and memorials, including seventeen monarchs, life for the ghostly community of Westminster Abbey was never going to be a quiet one. Add in some fiery Tudor tempers, and several centuries-old feuds, and things can only go one way: chaotic.
Against the backdrop of England’s most important church, though, it isn’t all tempers and tantrums. Poets’ Corner hosts poetry battles and writing workshops, and close friendships form across the ages.
With the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots, however, battle ensues. Will Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I ever find their common ground, and lasting peace?’
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Jen and I have been interacting ourselves since we shared a publication day last October (the 2nd of course, King Richard’s birthday, and that of The Order of the White Boar and Jen’s The Last Plantagenet?). We have very different approaches, with my books sticking very firmly to the lives of my characters and hers – well, I do envy the fun she can have and the downright liberties she can take when her historic characters have already faced their tragic (or not-so-tragic) ends, and can shrug off their mortal remnants and roll up their sleeves and get to grips with the afterlife. It has to beat dealing with the inescapable trajectory of traditional historical fiction!
Jen’s Kindred Spirits novels are published by Crooked Cat Books and available via Amazon, along with her self-published timeslip novella, The Last Plantagenet? She can be found online at her blog, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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June 6, 2018
Barnet Medieval Festival, 9-10 June – #booksigning & talk
Continuing a busy summer for me, I will be signing books (and giving a brief talk) this coming weekend at the Barnet Medieval Festival in Hertfordshire, site of the Battle of Barnet, which was King Richard’s first battle at the young age of 18.
The battle doesn’t feature in my books, as Richard has reached the more mature age of 29 by the time they open – and the country has seen 11 years of relative peace under King Edward IV – but eagle-eyed readers will have spotted various references to it littered throughout their pages.
One particular character brings his experience of the battle to bear late on to help us understand another highly significant event that occurs years later. Have you met him yet? If not, come along to hear about him on Saturday or Sunday and maybe buy a paperback of The King’s Man (or indeed The Order of the White Boar) at the same time!
Great fun to be had for children and adults and you may even meet these good folk. FREE entry too!
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https://www.facebook.com/events/236299386954117/
And don’t forget if you can’t make it this weekend, both my books are also available at:
myBook.to/WhiteBoar mybook.to/TheKingsMan
May 31, 2018
Book signing at King Richard III Visitor Centre, 2 June at 11 a.m.
I’m delighted to say that I will be signing copies of both The Order of the White Boar and The King’s Man at the King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester on Saturday 2 June from 11 a.m.
Do come along and say hello!
A special guest is expected at the start – Pilgrim the Peregrine from Hawkwise Falconry. A peregrine for a prince, as it says in the old rhyme – a fitting falcon to honour King Richard!
The details of the event can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/2157112501190081/
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#OnThisDay – birth of Margaret Beaufort
Born on this day – Margaret Beaufort, later Lady Stanley, mother of Henry Tudor. Many Ricardians’ least favourite woman.
The woman who Matt’s friend Alys calls ‘a witch’ having met her at court. Would Alys – around 13 herself at the time and facing an arranged marriage to a far older man she doesn’t know – have reacted the same way had she known that Lady Margaret was not only married (and widowed) by her age, but also had given birth to her son?
May 30, 2018
“Brilliant, gripping, heart-wrenching” – The King’s Man
That’s how Jennifer Emerson describes ‘The King’s Man’ on Amazon.com. Another amazing review – thank you Jennifer!
“5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, gripping, heart-wrenching sequel! (Possible Spoilers included)
Never before has a story moved me like this one did. I read it in a day. Marchant has continued the adventures of Matthew Wansford and his friends in a gripping tale which stands in sharp contrast to the nostalgic wonder of the first book in the series.
Welcome to 1483, the Year of the Three Kings. For the Duke of Gloucester, his family, and the members of the Order, the happiness of their life at Middleham is over. Richard’s life is about to be turned upside down. As the tension-fraught events of that tumultuous time unfold, we observe what’s happening as Matthew does – far from the front row. And it works beautifully.
As we follow along through 1485, the arc of the characters reaches its peak with many scenes that will leave you cheering one moment and in tears the next. The most poignant for me was King Richard’s soul-crushing sorrow. Though devastated by great loss, he found the strength to carry on in his duty. He is depicted as a just and brave ruler. Further, Marchant dares to venture where others have feared to tread: the fate of the Princes. It is a refreshing twist. And as with the first book, the ending left me wanting more.
Ricardians everywhere young and old, get this book. Get to know the real man.”
mybook.to/TheKingsMan
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5* Review for The King’s Man!
‘The King’s Man’ has just received the most fantastic 5* review on Amazon, GoodReads and the reviewer’s own blog spot (https://thegreatestadventure1.blogspot.com/). As the heading suggests, you may not want to read it all – but I’m so pleased to say that the reviewer absolutely nails what I’ve tried to do in the book (if you read past the perhaps unexpected words ‘disappointing’ and ‘devastating’, you may see what I mean! 
)
Thank you so much, Cecily Anne! 
Cecily Anne
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent Continuation – Possible Spoilers Ahead
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*
The King’s Man continues the story of Matthew, a young once-Pageboy to Duke Richard, now of necessity turned merchant’s apprentice in London. As in the first novel, we, the readers, see events play out from Matthew’s point of view – which becomes particularly interesting once he is no longer in Duke Richard’s (later King Richard’s) service: it means that apart from the events he manages to witness firsthand, Matt receives all his information secondhand – and, in turn, so do we. At first I found this quite disappointing – devastating, even – but as the story unfolded, I noticed how clever and wise a move it was.
On the one hand, I wish we’d gotten to remain close beside Richard, Anne, and little Ed throughout the book and see every minuscule detail of their goings-on, and see all their actions and responses as events occurred. On the other hand, so much of what went on, and what the family experienced as a result, is unknown or uncertain: upon reflection, it was a good idea to keep the readers at something of a distance by keeping Matt at a distance. Those tumultuous days were so confusing, and Matt’s experience reflects that very well. Many authors invent and speculate rather than remain silent, which is all well and good – so too does Marchant in places – but there are times for sticking to what is known beyond reasonable doubt, and leaving the ambiguous ambiguous. Marchant does some of both, and uses good discernment just when to do which.
Where certain or near-certain facts were available, they were employed superbly. Where they were not available, the reader either, like Matt, is left to puzzle over what was true (as so many folk were in those days) or was treated to one of the possible scenarios. I was shocked (afterwards very pleasantly so) that Marchant dared to put forth a possible scenario regarding the brothers in the Tower, Edward and Richard. Funny, so many authors will speculate wildly on this or that regarding Richard personally or the situation in general – but often are afraid to touch on the boys themselves, remaining silent about what happened, and allowing them simply to disappear from the story altogether whilst the adults argue “whodunnit.” But something happened to them, and Marchant had the backbone to take a guess at what that something may have been. The scenario put forward in The King’s Man warms my heart, for lack of a better expression. I do like to think that King Richard had a plan of protection in place for his nephews, whether or not it worked. It has also caused me to begin wildly speculating already – shall we be hearing more from little Richard of York in the future? Or will it be left unknown?
In sum, I couldn’t be more pleased and amazed. This book brought laughter, tears (mostly tears, I admit), and a wonderful story that I devoured in just over a day.
I look forward to finding out what adventures the next installment holds.
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May 27, 2018
#Giveaways & Prize Draw still open!
What an amazing day yesterday! The launch day for The King’s Man, sequel to The Order of the White Boar, and my first ever virtual launch event – either as launcher or participant!
I had a whale of a time and I hope everyone who came enjoyed it too. Three fantastic guest authors generously gave their time to chat about their own books and some super discussions ensued.
There were also giveaways of ebooks/short stories and a competition to win a limited edition signed print of a painting of King Richard by the very talented Dmitry Yakhovsky (below). These are all STILL OPEN until 7 pm UK time on Sunday 27 May 2018. Just pop along to the event page on Facebook, scroll till you find the relevant post, and add your name and entry photo and/or comment.
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I will be posting follow-up items to the launch over the next couple of days – including some very special announcements.
As they say – Watch This Space!
Oh, and don’t forget to order your copy of The King’s Man – available in both ebook and paperback!
May 26, 2018
Launch day for ‘The King’s Man’!
I’m delighted to announce that ‘The King’s Man’ is now available on Amazon worldwide!
The Kindle ebook is published and the paperback will also be available on Amazon very soon (though Amazon tells me it may take a day or two to tie them in together… as soon as I have the link, I’ll post it here)
The ebook is also available FREE to anyone signed up to Kindle Unlimited, as is that of its predecessor ‘The Order of the White Boar’.
If you buy and enjoy ‘The King’s Man’, please consider posting a review on both your home Amazon site and the US site Amazon.com (if it’s not your home country and you’re able to) – and also on GoodReads if you’re a member. Reviews are vital for independent authors in particular, and especially when a book is newly published.
And don’t forget to come along to the virtual launch event today at 4 pm/16.00 UK time! Just click on this link, sign up as ‘going’ and it will remind you to come back later when the event is live. https://www.facebook.com/events/1373437109423722/
Thank you 
mybook.to/TheKingsMan
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Feature: Alex Marchant, The King’s Man
‘The King’s Man and ‘The Order kindly featured by Jen Wilson, author of the fabulous ‘Kindred Spirits’ series – thank you Jen!
Happy Publication Day to Alex today! The first in The Order of the White Boar series shares its book birthday with my own The Last Plantagenet?, and it’s been great connecting over the last year or so online. I’m delighted to be sharing news of the sequel today then, The King’s Man…
If you’ve not read the first, then here’s the blurb to whet your appetite:
How well do you know the story of King Richard III? Not as well as Matthew Wansford.
Matthew, a 12-year-old merchant’s son, has always longed to be a knight. And his chance comes in the golden summer of 1482 when he arrives at Middleham Castle, home of King Edward IV’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester – valiant warrior, loyal brother, loving father, good master.
Soon Matt encounters a dangerous enemy. Hugh, a fellow page, is a better swordsman, horseman, more skilled in all…
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