Ruth Downie's Blog, page 5
April 2, 2018
My Dear Hamilton
Nobody could accuse us of being stuck in the past here at Downie Towers. Well… not in the very distant past, anyway. Today we’re venturing into the daringly modern times of the eighteenth century, where events turn out to have some even more up-to-date parallels. I’m delighted to welcome Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, authors of the bestselling America’s First Daughter[image error], to talk about their latest book, My Dear Hamilton.
Me: Can I get an embarrassing confession out of the way at the start? H...
March 15, 2018
Curses, Miracles and ‘Tilla Speaks’.
The launch of a new book is always a grand excuse for wandering around the internet pontificating on things, and I’m grateful to the hosts who’ve kindly let me loose on their websites. It’s been a delight writing the articles, and here’s the current publication schedule. I’ll update it when the final details come in.
6 March – opening chapter of MEMENTO MORI previewed on Assaph Mehr’s Egretia.com
15 March –
“A Gang of Doctors Killed Me” – medics and miracles in the ancient world on Helen Hol...
March 6, 2018
MEMENTO MORI – the new book is out today!
I’m delighted to say that MEMENTO MORI, the story of Ruso and Tilla’s trip to Aquae Sulis (Bath) should be available on both sides of the Atlantic today! You can read the beginning here and listen to Simon Vance reading part of the story here.
This is what it looks like in the US:
and here’s the British edition:
The small print – The UK is just ebook at the moment but paper copies should be out very soon. Someone’s just asked about Australia and I’ll be checking that later today. Meanwhile,...
February 27, 2018
MEMENTO MORI is almost here!
[image error]Not long now till Ruso and Tilla’s latest adventure goes public! It’s the story of their fateful trip to the busy shrine at Aquae Sulis (Bath) and you can find out more here…
…or listen to Simon Vance reading an excerpt from the book at Tantor Media.
On the left is Bloomsbury’s beautiful US edition. The British edition will follow soon – the cover design is still under wraps but I promise it will be worth waiting for! Newsletter subscribers will be the first to know when it’s being released...
January 11, 2018
Good news and not-so-good news
The good news: thanks to Bloomsbury’s Holiday Sale, the ebook of “Medicus” is briefly and wondrously cheap in the USA right now – https://bloomsbury.com/us/medicus-9781596917743/
The not-so-good news: the series isn’t in ebook at all in the UK at the moment (sigh), but it WILL be coming back. There will be music and dancing in Downie Towers when it does.
December 17, 2017
Coping with the party season, Roman-style
The season of partying has begun! Io Saturnalia!
[image error]“No need to rush: the guests won’t be here for ages.”…although to be honest I’ve never been terribly confident about social occasions. Nothing illustrates my lack of prowess so well as the time I turned up to a party to find the hostess still in her dressing-gown with a towel around her hair. And that was in my home country. How much harder must it be to fit into a society where you don’t have the language?
It was certainly a problem for the...
October 31, 2017
Things that go slop in the night: a Samain warning before bedtime.
[image error]Never mind the pumpkins and the witches’ hats: here’s a timely tale borrowed from our Irish neighbours. It wasn’t written down until about 900 years ago but may be much older. Unless a miracle happens, this sort of thing is the nearest we’re ever likely to get to the kind of story Tilla’s people would have been telling around the hearth late at night. So, here’s a snippet from:
The Adventure of Nera
Our story begins one evening as Queen Medb, her consort King Ailill and their household are s...
September 25, 2017
Jersey – plus ça change…
i’ve just been enjoying a few days in Jersey, an island which turns out to have hung onto some fine traditions of the past:
1. Stashing cash:[image error]
The biggest hoard of Celtic coins in the world was found in Jersey in 2012 – and that’s the ninth hoard from the Late Iron Age that’s come to light on the island. I have to admit this doesn’t look very exciting:
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But as of last Wednesday (they’re still working on it) this is what’s been found in there:
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You can see some of the latest finds in the museu...
September 7, 2017
Never work with children or animals.
VITA BREVIS finally makes it into paperback in the UK today (hooray!) so it seems right to mark the occasion. I can hardly have a launch party for a book that’s been out in hardback and ebook for some time now, but on the other hand, unless people know it’s there, who will buy it? In any case, who will notice my modest efforts at publicity in the plethora of “look at my book!” appeals on social media? Luckily I hit upon a cunning plan.
What people really seem to like on social media is pictu...
August 12, 2017
Toga Tuesday!
Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire was full of Romans last week. There were soldiers and civilians, and families ranging from toddlers to grandparents. They were wandering in and out of the houses, feeding the sheep, eating, playing, laughing, working, shopping and having their hair done.
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Some of them were even having their photos taken in silly poses:
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This splendid family day out was one of the Roman Days that Butser are running every week over the summer holidays, and last week’s theme w...
