Gareth Williams's Blog, page 3

Favourite reads of the year so far (2023)

I was asked for my favourite three reads of 2023 so far by Ben Fox of shepherd.com - an excellent website for discovering new books (fiction and non-fiction) by area of interest.

I was delighted to submit my list and you can find it here:

Gareth Williams' 3 favorite reads in 2023 (shepherd.com)

This has been a productive reading year for me so I hope my choices prove of interest. You might also like to view what all the authors asked came up with - this can be accessed here:

884 Authors & Super Readers Pick the 100 Best Books of 2023 (shepherd.com)

Discover the best books

A delightful day in Dunvegan

Yesterday I drove along the coast from home in Sconser to Dunvegan. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the mountains stood out sharply. The Isle of Skye looked magnificent.

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and stopped to take some photos.

But that was not the purpose of my outing. I was fulfilling a long-standing invitation to speak about my novels to the Dunvegan Ladies' Group. Diane, who helps run the group, has the only other Pyrenean Mountain dog I am aware of on the island. As a result, we always have plenty to talk about!

I spoke for a little under an hour, answered questions and sold books. But the highlight, as promised, was tea and cake. I indulged in a home-baked paradise slice which was so apposite on such a perfectly lovely day.

It is always nice to have the chance to talk about my books as writing can be quite an isolating experience. As I drove home, I reflected on the hospitality of strangers, the wonder of living in such a beautiful part of the world, and the privilege of writing for an audience.

A difference of opinion

I recently read A Brutal Reckoning - The Creek Indians and the Epic War for the American South by Peter Cozens. I bought the book because it dealt with the period immediately after the death of William Augustus Bowles, about whom I am writing a fictional biography (sticking to the historical outline but filling in the gaps with my imagination). It is a balanced assessment of the conflict between the Creek Confederacy and the various states keen to expand in their direction.

The early part of the book provides context for the war by giving an overview of Creek interactions with outside forces from Hernando de Soto's deadly sixteenth century Spanish expedition through British control and on to the growing influence of the new American republic.

In this section, William Bowles gets a mention, as I expected. The man I have carefully crafted 550 pages about is described as 'a delusional former British army officer'! Less than six lines to dismiss the man who declared war on Spain as part of his efforts to forge an independent state for the Creek people. Okay, so Cozens' description does appear to fit the facts! But what a story William's life makes.

Captain Liar & the Forgotten Flag is undergoing a final edit before I start sending it to literary agents. I just hope his story grabs one of them as much as it has mesmerised me.

Dingwall & Cairngorms road trip

Just a short post to thank Carmen and her book group for hosting me at Dingwall Community Library on Tuesday. There was a good turn out and lots of questions and interest in my published books and work in progress.

The library was kind enough to buy a set of The Richard Davey Chronicles as did one of the attendees. I hope the books are enjoyed far and wide.

The weather gods were kind and I was able to go on from the evening meeting to the Cairngorms in Eric the Red (our campervan) to add to my tally of Munros. I am now back in a rainy Skye planning for a talk to the Dunvegan Ladies' Group next month and two book festivals in November.

My next focus is to write a modern myth set on Skye for the Angus Book Festival where I am on a panel of authors talking about the myths and legends of Scotland.

Award-winning author

When I was sharing a stall with The Book Typesetters (Rachael & Nat) at the Newark Book Festival, we had plenty of time to chat. We are incubating some big plans - more about that another time. But I also told them a story from my time living on the wonderful island of Guernsey.

I was teaching English and History at Elizabeth College. Life was good. I was asked to judge some of the literature entries to the island eisteddfod. For several years I read adult short stories and children's poetry.

As another competition loomed, I made up my mind to do something different. I declined the job of short story judge, because I was going to enter myself!

I still remember the story I wrote and what inspired me. I was reading a fair amount of magical realism at the time but I also couldn't get a scene from a recent Indiana Jones film out of my mind. A car is casually commandeered for a chase. I couldn't help wonder what impact that had on the poor family. So that became the theme of my story.

Anyway, searching has failed to locate the story. In my mind it was pretty good. Fortunately, the judge thought so too. I won!

Nat and Rachael insist this makes me an award-winning author. Who am I to argue?

I hope one day I find the story and if I do, I will publish it on my website for sure.

New review of Needing Napoleon

I'm so grateful to Amy's Bookshelf Reviews for a recent great review of Needing Napoleon.

You can read the full review here: https://amysbookshelfreviews.com/f/gareth-williams--needing-napoleon

Here is a little extract:

"... what a hidden gem. I enjoyed it so much, that I have now followed the author and look for more books to read. If you're a fan of history, especially ancient history, this is a book you'll want to read ... I have fast become a big fan of Gareth Williams."

As an author, it means so much when reviewers give positive comments and I would always ask you to review books you have read and enjoyed. It helps future readers as well as authors!

Don't forget that Serving Shaka and Rescuing Richard, the second and third instalments in The Richard Davey Chronicles, are also available https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gareth-Williams/e/B09X8MT53V/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk

Interview by Katherine Mezzacappa

Excited to announce a recent interview I gave to the Historical Novel Society is now available to read on their website. You can get to it here :

Launch: Gareth Williams’ Rescuing Richard - Historical Novel Society

Katherine Mezzacappa was a really perceptive, sympathetic and well-informed interviewer. You can find out more about her here:

Katherine Mezzacappa (historicalwriters.org)

In the interview we tackled everything from colonial legacies to the responsibility of historical novelists to do their research - even when writing an alternate history.

I have also been invited onto Radio Skye by my good friend Carole Horton to talk about Rescuing Richard. She has already read it, so I know we will have an interesting conversation.

I am also speaking at Dingwall Library on Tuesday 5th September, so if you are in the area, look out for upcoming publicity!

Newark Book Fair

I am just back from spending three days at the Newark Book Festival with my good friends Nat & Rachael of The Book Typesetters. I was there to promote the publication of the third instalment of The Richard Davey Chronicles - Rescuing Richard. They were the creative team behind my covers for this series and the wonderful typesetting (of course).

Nat & Rachael were kind enough to interview me for their YouTube channel and you can watch the interview here.

We had sunshine and thunderstorms across the three days but I was comfy every night in Eric the Red, my trusty VW Campervan!

I met some fascinating people at all stages of their reading and writing journeys. Writing is a solitary activity and it was wonderful to be briefly part of a community who share my enthusiasm for the written word.

Newark is a lovely little town packed with history. I now know what the Queen's Sconce is (a fort) and that there were several others scattered around the town during the Civil War. I explored the slighted castle, its ruins still magnificent beside the River Trent. I enjoyed a barbeque and good company.

I will definitely return to Newark. I still have to explore the Civil War Centre and St Mary Magdalene Church with its soaring octagonal spire - the tallest structure in the town.

My thanks to everyone who chatted with me over the three days and particularly those who bought a book or three!

Myths & Legends of the Isle of Skye

I recently wrote an article for a print edition of Historical Times magazine. It was part of their Great Britain, Scotland & Ireland History special edition. It is available online via subscription or to buy via Amazon.

My article takes a look at the differences between myths and legends by considering some tales from Skye folklore. It is by no means an exhaustive study but does give a flavour of the tales that sprang up over the centuries on this magical island I am lucky enough to call home.

If you go to the link below and scroll down, you can find out more. If you type Historical Times Magazine into Amazon, you should find the paper version. It is listed as temporarily out of stock but do not be put off. If you order it - it will come! Although it is not cheap, there are 110 beautifully illustrated pages.

Historical Times Magazine Home | The Hist Fic Company (thehistoricalfictioncompany.com)

You may also see information on the magazine's Dark Ages issue which features an article by my friend and fellow author Fil Reid, whose 'Guinevere' series gives a wonderful insight into dark age Britain and the legends of King Arthur.

Rescuing Richard finally approaching the finish line!

I am very happy to announce the third instalment of The Richard Davey Chronicles has gone to the printers. The expected delivery date is 31st May.

Sadly, that does not mean the book will be widely available on that date. It usually takes a few weeks for everything to appear on Amazon and other book sites.

However, I will have real paper copies to hold and smell - so exciting! It has felt like a really long wait for this one. I think it was originally slated to appear a year ago! Anyway, that's water under the bridge, even if it seems an improbably long time ago when I wrote those final scenes.

Since then, I have written two drafts of a fictional biography running over 150,000 words as well as a three time period ghost story of about 75,ooo words.

Anyway, back to Rescuing Richard. As always, it has been a pleasure working with Rachael and Nat from The Book Typesetters on this book. I am really pleased with the layout and cover. I think it is a strong image and works well with the other two books in the series but I would love to know what you think?

Finally, if anyone is going to the Newark Book Festival (6-9 July 2023), you can catch me sharing a stall with The Book Typesetters.

If you live in Scotland, I will be speaking to the reading group at Dingwall Library on 5th September and appearing at Angus Book Fest (17-19 November 2023). More about these three events in another post.