Ruth Downie's Blog, page 6

Of Scotland and the price of peace

[image error]A holiday snap from Dumfries and Galloway. Not Fife, where the silver was found, but it’s the nearest we got. Just back from travelling in the Scottish borders to find that Jean, Sam and Alice have kindly sent me a link to this story of Roman silver being discovered in Scotland. It’s interesting that the experts think the silver is a bribe rather than a stash of plunder. The historian Cassius Dio tells us that a Roman governor of Britannia, Virius Lupus, was “compelled to purchase peace…...

VITA BREVIS now in paperback in the USA!

[image error]VITA BREVIS, the story of Ruso and Tilla’s trip to Rome, is published in paperback in America today!

Ask at your local bookshop, or find it at Barnes and Noble or Amazon. Meanwhile, also in the USA, MEDICUS – the first book in the series – is still a July Deal on Kindle.

Apologies to friends here in the UK – the paperback IS on the way, and will appear on 7 September.  Hive (which supports your local bookshop), Amazon and The Book Depository already have it listed and will be very happy to re...

MEDICUS – Kindle deal in N America

I’m delighted to say that MEDICUS, Ruso and Tilla’s first adventure, is a Kindle bargain deal for the month of July in the US and Canada.  Thanks to Camilla for sending this link to Amazon.com.

[image error]

It isn’t available electronically in the UK at the moment I’m afraid… it WILL be back, and believe me, there will be major celebrations at Downie Towers when it is.

Save

Save

Eboracum 2017 – join the Roman army!

[image error]

[image error]Right. Line up, you lot. And get that hair cut! Half of you look like a bunch of girls! [image error] Write and tell your Mum you’ll be home in twenty years.

 

[image error] You’ll travel to distant places and collect exotic souvenirs. [image error] The Legion will feed you.

 

[image error] The Legion will clothe you. [image error] Our friendly centurions…

 

[image error] …will teach you how to march.

 

[image error] and march… [image error] and march… [image error] (did we mention the marching?) [image error] …and fight. [image error] And how to round up civilians who make trouble. [image error] If anything goes wrong, our highly-trained doctors will look...

Have shoes, will travel

The first half of June’s looking pretty busy with a rush of events up and down the country at which I’ll be showing off my now not-so-new Roman shoes.

[image error]

1-4 June

Heading north for the Eboracum Roman Festival in York – a spectacular event for all ages. I’ll be in the Authors’ Tent in the fine company of Alex Gough, Ben Kane, Brian Young, Harry Sidebottom, Jane Finnis, John Salter, Penny Ingham, and Simon (SJA) Turney. Quite a few of us will be in costume, although possibly some of the guys dre...

Wide-eyed in the Big City – visiting Roman London

Two trips to London since Christmas! Back in February I meant to do a blog post about seeing some of the Roman writing tablets found on the Bloomberg HQ site, but never quite got around to it. Besides, there were no pictures: perhaps to avoid fisticuffs around the display tables, it was a no-photography event. So I came home with a splendid book instead.

[image error]

It’s OK to take photos at the exhibition of the archaeology from the Crossrail line  at the Museum of London in Docklands, and some of them...

The Bear and the Wolf

The Bear and the Wolf

A short story of love and danger on the Roman Empire’s most hostile frontier.

It’s always a delight to work with Simon Turney. He and I took opposite sides in the “Romans versus Britons” debate at the Alderney Literary Festival, (there are photos here) but we both knew it was much more complicated than that – and so we put together this story of a small family in the midst of a big crisis.

Senna, a native Briton married to a Roman auxiliary, accidentally uncovers a dread...

Small Island

A visit to the island of Alderney has been on my bucket list ever since we saw our friends’ holiday photos, so there was dancing and singing here at Downie Towers when an invitation to the Alderney Literary Festival arrived. Below are a few photos of my own, along with some random thoughts about the festival – which was fabulous.

[image error]

Alderney is a small island, so obviously the ‘new, big’ plane was never going to be terribly big.  It’s super-comfortable, though, and nearly everybody gets a windo...

Alderney Literary Festival 2017

A visit to the island of Alderney has been on my bucket list ever since we saw our friends’ holiday photos, so there was dancing and singing here at Downie Towers when an invitation to the Alderney Literary Festival arrived. Below are a few photos of my own, along with some random thoughts about the festival – which was fabulous.

[image error]

Alderney is a small island, so obviously the ‘new, big’ plane was never going to be terribly big.  It’s super-comfortable, though, and nearly everybody gets a windo...

Songs of Blood and Gold – an Ancient World bargain bundle!

[image error]

A while back I was honoured to be asked to join the H-Team, a group of writers who combine their skills to produce gripping and original versions of famous tales from the ancient world.  The team’s three books are usually sold separately, but for a short while they’re on offer as an ebook bundle called SONGS OF BLOOD AND GOLD for a  mere $3.10/£2.49 – less than the cost of buying one alone!

 

Here’s what you get:

[image error]

A DAY OF FIRE
(by Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Kate Qu...