Alexander S. Findlay's Blog
July 3, 2021
Release Time – Free Giveaway!
JANUS PATERThe Memoirs of the Veturii, Book I
To celebrate the release of my novel, JANUS PATER, I am giving away free copies of my novel for five days on KDP.
If you are interested in Historical Fiction, Roman History or Stoic Philosophy, do NOT miss out on this giveaway!
SHOP NOW
June 27, 2021
The Route Map
One thing that the Romans are famous for is their roads. What would a story about ancient warfare involving Romans be without a worthy mention of their advanced mobility?
Also, a shoutout goes to Sarah Davidson at thesketchdragon.com for putting together an awesome route map for Drusus and his comrades to get from A to B! Also, a shoutout to her patience with all of my odd instructions (There are no “U” or “W” letters, only “V” and please change this ...
June 26, 2021
The Cover Reveal
Below you will see the final cover for the eBook version of “Janus Pater” designed by Fiona Jayde of Fiona Jayde Media:
I highly recommend that you take a look at more of her work, because Fiona has a breathtaking portfolio which contains covers that she has designed over a wide variety of genres, and for a large base of authors.
On my cover, the dominating figure in the middle is a statue of the Roman god, Janus. The most frequent epithet of this god in Roman mythology and culture...
June 25, 2021
Janus Pater – Coming sooner than you think!
It is less than a week until I release my novel, Janus Pater on KDP and I am really excited! I have worked so hard and researched quite a great deal – way more than my bibliography in previous posts – to piece this narrative together. Oh wow! Deep Breath!
I just have a foreword to finish and perhaps I need to touch it up with a more encouraging (less stoic) attitude.
Here’s how it is so far:
I have always felt that it is so hard to do justice to the ancients in terms of historical fict...
August 13, 2020
The Blurb
It’s not jumping the gun if I have ‘mostly’ finished the epilogue. In my opinion, the blurb is one of the most important parts of the marketing process and how one pitches one’s work.
What do you think of my blurb below? Would it hook you? Bear in mind that these are still the early days and the content is likely to change. Nevertheless, unlike the free stock image of this post (from pexels) my work is still copyrighted.
“That is one thing that they never tell you in the great sagas, inde...
August 9, 2020
The Bibliography Grows!
In my attempts to make my work in progress more authentic, the bibliography has had a few extra titles added to it:
Stoicism for Beginners by Kevin GarnettLiterature and Religion in Ancient Rome by Dennis FeeneyInfamy: The Crimes of Ancient Rome by Jerry TonerRoman Religion by John ScheidThe Religious Experience of the Roman People W. Warde FowlerDe Brevitate Vitae by Lucius Seneca (If Gaius probably read it, then so should I!)
Oh my! Now I need to add in some of Cassius Dio’s embellishmen...
May 29, 2020
Quarantine without reading material would be hell…
For those of you around the world who are still in lockdown, it must be be pretty frustrating. Allow me to provide you with a small window of escape, even if it is only for for a few brief moments.
Last month I released a short story set in a late bronze age / early iron age fantasy world about a wanderer who adopts a boy as his own child. The Wanderer pledges to himself to take care of the child in a harsh and merciless reality. The link to this short story set in the universe of my “Galesin...
May 19, 2020
The Historical Fiction Update
Oh wow! I think that I am going to spend all year working on these two novellas! I intend to release them in 2021 as polished, proper and as true to the time period as I can possibly do so, yet without neglecting to put forward compelling – if contrasting – narratives.
“Janus Pater” should be the first novella, or so I am inclined to believe at present. I intend to show the readers the Boudicca Rebellion through the eyes of a Roman centurion returning to service. Gaius Veturius Drusus wil...
April 13, 2020
The Bibliography (at present)
I do not believe that there is a viable way for me as one who does not work in the fields of archaeology or classical civilizations full-time to constructive a narrative worthy of the historical fiction genre without a substantial amount of research.
Here is my reading last up until now (no it is NOT in any academic format):
The Roman Invasion of Britain: Archaeology versus History, Birgitta HoffmanLegions of Rome, Stephen Dando-CollinsRe-Kindling History, Boudica Queen of the Iceni, David...April 10, 2020
Lifting the Spirits! (Not raising them… yet)
Given that we are all under some form of lock-down or curfew and most of us are doing our part in the fight against COVID-19 by staying on the couch, I have decided to help others to alleviate the uncomfortable mix of boredom, apprehension, and uncertainty by providing some much needed escapism.
My intention is to upload one short story a month to this website for people to download FOR FREE. Now, I am not going to upload anything straight off the bat as soon as I finish a third draft....
