Michael E. Wills's Blog, page 2
February 27, 2017
Inland Vikings
During the time of the Vikings and long after, the only way to travel around Scandinavia was by boat. Thick forests or high mountains made overland travel extremely difficult if not impossible. Thus, Viking Age settlements tended to be around coastal areas. Indeed, the most popularly accepted explanation for the word “Viking”, is that it comes from the Norse word, “vik” which means “bay”. They were people who lived around bays with good access to the sea.
Consider therefore my confusion whil...
June 22, 2016
Hacked By XwoLfTn
Hacked By XwoLfTn
Long life for Tunisia 
long life to Palestine 
./Exit
In The Dark
There is one scenic device, used by film directors and story writers alike, which can be guaranteed to heighten tension and drama – darkness. The dark robs us of the means to orientate, to feel sure of our surroundings and who might be in them. Familiar shapes become threatening, and sounds which cannot be identified become danger signals. Indeed, when the night throws a cloak over everything, even the bravest soul can become anxious. In this more precarious and less certain situation we can...
May 4, 2016
Historical Novel Society Review of “Children of the Chieftain: Banished”
Read the Historical Novel Society Review of “Children of the Chieftain: Banished” at http://www.michaelwills.eu/children-of-the-chieftain/children-of-the-chieftain-banished/readers-reviews/
Read the Historical Novel Society Review of “Children of ...
Read the Historical Novel Society Review of “Children of the Chieftain: Banished” at http://www.michaelwills.eu/children-of-the-chieftain/children-of-the-chieftain-banished/readers-reviews/
March 30, 2016
Ingvar the Far Travelled
Returning to England from Sweden with my notebook full of ideas for my next Viking story and my camera memory almost full with pictures of rune stones, artefacts and historical sites, I had a wait for my BA flight in Terminal 3 at Stockholm airport. The mind of a researcher is always enquiring and I immediately found myself drawn to an enormous exhibit in the waiting hall. It was a rune stone which had been discovered in April 1990, when the motorway from Stockholm to the airport was being co...
February 15, 2016
Children of the Chieftain: Banished – Activity Booklet (Free Download)
This booklet, intended for readers aged 8 to 13, has been prepared to give readers, teachers and parents the opportunity to use my book in a wider educational context and to exploit learning opportunities which it presents.
Click on the image below to download.
November 22, 2015
Children of the Chieftain: Banished – Background
The Vikings are generally known as ruthless raiders and robbers and there is some truth in this. However, a proportion of those who lived in Scandinavia in the Viking Age were armed traders. Just like the raiders who attacked the coasts of Europe, they were great travellers and extremely daring. They had to be very brave because their voyages took them through some extremely dangerous and inhospitable regions.
A hoard of Viking silver, probably the property of a trader who...
November 16, 2015
Children of the Chieftain: Banished – Read a sample of the book
CHILDREN OF THE CHIEFTAIN: BANISHED
Michael E Wills
Chapter 1
The boys climbed up one side of the wooden fence, balanced on the top and then jumped down the other side into the long undergrowth. The spiky bushes clung to their trousers and they had to struggle to free themselves from the dense vegetation.
“Look, there’s the path to the harbour. Come on, hurry, we might find a fishing boat to escape in,” said Ahl.
“And if there isn’t one, what do we do then?”
“Shut up, Ruric, save your brea...
August 13, 2015
Children of the Chieftain: Betrayed – Activity Booklet (Free download)
This booklet, intended for readers aged 8 to 13, has been prepared to give readers, teachers and parents the opportunity to use my book in a wider educational context and to exploit learning opportunities which it presents.
Click on the image below to download.
I am always seeking to improve the learning possibilities for readers of my books and I welcome comments and suggestions.
