Ruth Downie's Blog, page 9

New artwork!

I’m hugely grateful to the talented and generous Bruce Aiken, who designed the beautiful new picture for the front of the website.

The photo that was there before – brooding skies over Hadrian’s Wall – wasn’t really right for the impending launch of a book set in Rome. I hope you’ll agree that the new design is a delight. And in case you’ve reached here by some other route and haven’t yet seen it in all its glory, here it is:

Eboracum Roman Festival – counting down to 1 June!

I know… no blog posts for ages, and then two in a row. But just in case anyone’s missed the publicity so far… Eboracum Roman Festival is coming very soon, and it’s going to be spectacular.

There’s a splendid programme of events for all ages, and much of the festival is freely open to the public. Clicking here will take you to the page where you can book for the things that aren’t. There’s also more detail about individual events on the Facebook page.

I’ll be around over the weekend, sharing t...

“What’s new & old & read all over?”

Judith Starkston takes a good look at the current state of fiction set in the ancient world for the latest edition of Historical Novels Review. This is technically a members-only publication but the many writers who chipped in with our opinions are allowed to leap the fence and go public!

As writing is usually a solitary occupation I was fascinated to see what the other contributors thought. Hopefully you will be too – just click the slightly wobbly photo of the magazine cover below (sorry) t...

Badly dressed for the Bard

Big thanks to Fiona and the staff at the lovely Walter Henry’s bookshop in Bideford, who marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death on Saturday with tea and cake and fine hospitality. The collective noun for a gathering of local readers, writers and historians should probably be ‘a gossip’ but we fell respectfully silent to listen to a sonnet by the late Bard, read by his living namesake, writer Liz Shakespeare.

Peter Christie explained why he believes Shakespeare came to Bideford: w...

Stuff

I don’t post much on the Net about my family, partly because it’s of little interest to anyone else and partly because I like them and want them to carry on liking me. Today is an exception, because family matters have been much on my mind of late. And the question of how family matters become history. And how all of history is really the version we choose to tell of the stories of everyone’s families.

It’s almost two years since my father died. My mother has now moved to a new home, taking a...

Park in the Past

In Roman times a basic marching camp could be built in less than a day – often by men who’d already carried heavy kit for many miles through hostile territory, and now needed somewhere safe to bed down for the night.

Building a Roman fort in the twenty-first century is going to take a little longer. These days, even big men with swords have to negotiate the complexities of land ownership, planning permission and Health and Safety. Besides, these men (and women) are aiming to create something...

Io, that was Saturnalia!

There’s a marvellous video of this year’s Deva celebrations on YouTube. Somewhere in there you may spot the author of the Empire series, Anthony Riches (dressed as a centurion), the Emperor Domitian (being suitably megalomanic) and yours truly. An extra treat was the combination of Saturnalia with the Winter Watch parade, which made for a truly spectacular evening’s entertainment.

An honour!

Thrilled to hear that TABULA RASA is included on Nancy Pearl’s list of reads for 2015! You can see the full list of recommendations here. Also, warm congratulations to Mick Herron, another British crime writer who’s doubly honoured by having TWO of his books on the list – a real achievement!

All this is rather nicely timed as it coincides with the launch of the paperback edition in the UK today, under its smart new cover:

Suppose a part of Ancient Rome survived?

Friends who followed the Blog Hop a couple of years ago will have met my writing friend Alison Morton. Alison’s created a gripping alternative thriller world, where her 21st century Praetorian heroines survive kidnapping, betrayal and a vicious nemesis while using their Roman toughness and determination to save their beloved country. Unfortunately, their love lives don’t run as smoothly. If you haven’t visited Roma Nova, now is a good time to start because…

…for a limited time only, there’s a...

Halloween: Strange goings-on at Downie Towers

“The Britain of today,” asserted Pliny back in the first century, “performs the rites of magic in manic fashion.” Given the piles of plastic Halloween tat in the shops here, it’s hard to see that much has changed.

I’m normally as cynical as Pliny about this sort of thing, but at four o’clock this morning, all alone in a dim and silent Downie Towers, I turned to find that the wardrobe and book-case had silently slid themselves along the wall to block the bedroom door.

Unable to find a rational...