MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 306
March 12, 2014
Staffordshire hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold reassembled after 1,300 years
Staffordshire hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold reassembled after 1,300 yearsFine filigree among 4,000 pieces of greatest treasure trove found in UK, which have been brought together for conservation work Maev Kennedy The Guardian, Tuesday 11 March 2014 
The quality of the Anglo-Saxon gold work, some of which can only be seen under a microscope, is surpassed only by the Sutton Hoo hoard. Photo: Birmingham MuseumsFor the first time since someone dug a hole in a Staffordshire field and buried a sack holding five kilos of glittering gold, some 1,300 years ago, the entire hoard has been reassembled far from the public gaze in a drab back room at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
The Guardian was invited in to see it last week, but the assemblage can only be disclosed today, now that the gold has been safely returned to vaults and secure museum displays.
Its discovery in 2009 by Terry Herbert, an amateur metal detector living on disability benefit in a council flat, made headlines around the world. Archaeologists, who recovered more than 1,500 pieces from the field, believed they had emptied it of its treasures. Three years later farmer Fred Johnson's plough brought more gold to the surface, and a further 90 pieces, including a helmet cheek piece matching one from the original find, were recovered.
The count has now risen to more than 4,000 pieces, many of them minute. As the pieces were cleaned and conserved, more flakes of gold and tiny objects, including shirt-pin sized rivets, fell out of the clay packed around them.
Chris Fern, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon metalwork, one of the experts who has been studying the collection, has found more than 600 joins where broken pieces were once connected, jigsawed together hundreds of fragments which once decorated a magnificent helmet, and identified several pieces that seem to be the work of the same craftsman.
His work produced some surprises: one particularly beautiful gold and garnet piece, found so close to the surface that grass was growing through it, was thought to be a brooch, but now appears to join on to two other pieces to form a bizarre doorhandle-shaped head ornament.
The quality of the Anglo-Saxon gold work, with many of the pieces decorated with filigree, ribbon interlace animals with almost invisible gemstone eyes, and tiny cut garnets backed by engraved gold to make them glitter more, whose detail can really only be appreciated under a microscope, is surpassed only by the treasures of the Sutton Hoo hoard. The hoard has almost doubled the amount of filigree gold found from the period.
Another one of the 4,000 pieces in the hoard. One face resembles one of the curators at the Birmingham museum. Photograph: David Rowan/Birmingham Museums Unlike the Sutton Hoo pieces, which came intact from a king's burial in a great ship, the treasures of the Staffordshire hoard were magnificent ruins, ornaments ripped from swords and daggers, shields and boxes, some wrenched away, some levered off with a blade – but still so beautiful that Deb Klemperer, a curator at the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent, one of the museums that joined together to buy the hoard, was reduced to tears when she first saw them.
Fern believes it may be significant that some of the worst damage was to the handful of overtly Christian pieces in the hoard, including a contorted gold processional cross, and a pectoral cross which, under x-ray, revealed a cavity under the central garnet that may once have held a saint's relic.
The pieces are overwhelmingly masculine and military – there are no women's ornaments at all – and the damage makes it almost certain that they represent loot from several places, brought together in the famously warlike kingdom of Mercia, rather than local craftsmanship.
Human details have also emerged from the work, including running repairs made on several of the pieces, such as tiny pieces of glass and amber substituted for lost garnets.
Some of the pieces were already heirlooms long before they went into the ground: the oldest, a silver-gilt sword pommel, was made in Scandinavia or northern Germany centuries earlier, and showed such heavy use that the features of the little man's face – startlingly resembling David Symons, an expert at the Birmingham museum – were almost worn away.
Some of the stars of the collection are going back on display in a recreation of a seventh-century mead hall at the Potteries Museum, complete with replica fire pit and the smell of wood smoke. Birmingham city museum is also building a new gallery to display the collection, which will open later this year.
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/12/staffordshire-hoard-anglo-saxon-gold-treasure-conservation
The quality of the Anglo-Saxon gold work, some of which can only be seen under a microscope, is surpassed only by the Sutton Hoo hoard. Photo: Birmingham MuseumsFor the first time since someone dug a hole in a Staffordshire field and buried a sack holding five kilos of glittering gold, some 1,300 years ago, the entire hoard has been reassembled far from the public gaze in a drab back room at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.The Guardian was invited in to see it last week, but the assemblage can only be disclosed today, now that the gold has been safely returned to vaults and secure museum displays.
Its discovery in 2009 by Terry Herbert, an amateur metal detector living on disability benefit in a council flat, made headlines around the world. Archaeologists, who recovered more than 1,500 pieces from the field, believed they had emptied it of its treasures. Three years later farmer Fred Johnson's plough brought more gold to the surface, and a further 90 pieces, including a helmet cheek piece matching one from the original find, were recovered.
The count has now risen to more than 4,000 pieces, many of them minute. As the pieces were cleaned and conserved, more flakes of gold and tiny objects, including shirt-pin sized rivets, fell out of the clay packed around them.
Chris Fern, a specialist in Anglo-Saxon metalwork, one of the experts who has been studying the collection, has found more than 600 joins where broken pieces were once connected, jigsawed together hundreds of fragments which once decorated a magnificent helmet, and identified several pieces that seem to be the work of the same craftsman.
His work produced some surprises: one particularly beautiful gold and garnet piece, found so close to the surface that grass was growing through it, was thought to be a brooch, but now appears to join on to two other pieces to form a bizarre doorhandle-shaped head ornament.
The quality of the Anglo-Saxon gold work, with many of the pieces decorated with filigree, ribbon interlace animals with almost invisible gemstone eyes, and tiny cut garnets backed by engraved gold to make them glitter more, whose detail can really only be appreciated under a microscope, is surpassed only by the treasures of the Sutton Hoo hoard. The hoard has almost doubled the amount of filigree gold found from the period.
Another one of the 4,000 pieces in the hoard. One face resembles one of the curators at the Birmingham museum. Photograph: David Rowan/Birmingham Museums Unlike the Sutton Hoo pieces, which came intact from a king's burial in a great ship, the treasures of the Staffordshire hoard were magnificent ruins, ornaments ripped from swords and daggers, shields and boxes, some wrenched away, some levered off with a blade – but still so beautiful that Deb Klemperer, a curator at the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent, one of the museums that joined together to buy the hoard, was reduced to tears when she first saw them.Fern believes it may be significant that some of the worst damage was to the handful of overtly Christian pieces in the hoard, including a contorted gold processional cross, and a pectoral cross which, under x-ray, revealed a cavity under the central garnet that may once have held a saint's relic.
The pieces are overwhelmingly masculine and military – there are no women's ornaments at all – and the damage makes it almost certain that they represent loot from several places, brought together in the famously warlike kingdom of Mercia, rather than local craftsmanship.
Human details have also emerged from the work, including running repairs made on several of the pieces, such as tiny pieces of glass and amber substituted for lost garnets.
Some of the pieces were already heirlooms long before they went into the ground: the oldest, a silver-gilt sword pommel, was made in Scandinavia or northern Germany centuries earlier, and showed such heavy use that the features of the little man's face – startlingly resembling David Symons, an expert at the Birmingham museum – were almost worn away.
Some of the stars of the collection are going back on display in a recreation of a seventh-century mead hall at the Potteries Museum, complete with replica fire pit and the smell of wood smoke. Birmingham city museum is also building a new gallery to display the collection, which will open later this year.
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/mar/12/staffordshire-hoard-anglo-saxon-gold-treasure-conservation
25 NEW Paperbacks of The Night Porter by Mark Barry to be given away FREE...
25 NEW Paperbacks to be given away FREE...
Have you contacted Mark Barry yet to reserve your copy?http://greenwizard62.blogspot.com/Follow my blog with Bloglovin
THE OFFER
Did I mention the word FREE?
Have I emphasised that enough?
This is The Night Porter.
It is the first complete piece of work from Green Wizard/Mark Barry for a year.
It is approximately 250 pages long.
Those who have read the book so far - four people, my most trusted confidantes and allies - have described it as my best written work so far.
They don't bulls**t me either. They give it me good and proper if they think I need it, which is often.
Readers who have read my books, whether they like the stories I come up with or not, universally say I know my way around a keyboard. So that assessment means a lot.
The book is completely accessible.
It doesn't have the dark humour and shocking stories of Carla nor the cynical relationship monologues in Hollywood Shakedown.
It has none of the violence of the two football books - UV and BBVD - and none of the blood-curdling horror of The Ritual.
It is a puzzle, an experiment, an innovation. One of those lithographs of impossible design renaissance tricksters sold on Florence Market.
Every book I write, I try to do something different, something no-one else is doing.
Here's a big (unlike me) boast:
It's set in a hotel, in November, in the fictional town of Wheatley Fields, (based on Southwell, near Nottinghamshire, deep in Sherwood Forest). It is set over two weeks, underneath steel grey clouds of icy rain.
Four writers, all nominated for an upcoming awards ceremony, come to stay. One mega successful romance author, a top US thriller writer who sells in seven figures, a beautiful young YA tyro on the brink of world wide stardom...
...and a degenerate, nasty, bitter, jealous, trollish, drunken (but brilliant), self-published contemporary fiction author.
The eponymous, pseudonymous and anonymous Night Porter is instructed by a secretive and powerful awards committee to look after their EVERY need, to ensure they make it through the two weeks to attend the ceremony.
At the same time as keeping an eye on their wishes, antics, fights, relationships and never-ending ego explosions. And trying desperately to avoid getting involved himself.
It's a comedy drama about writers (and Night Porters!) with twists and turns, nooks and crannies, shadows and mirrors, alongside some of my bizarre preoccupations and obsessions.
It casts a sometimes shadowy light on modern publishing, the writing business - and the people in it.
Writers who like to read about writers and writing will enjoy the book.
They may not AGREE with the comments. In fact, I can think of two comments in there which are going to get us all in serious trouble, but it will make a writer think and react.
__________________________________________
THE DEAL
I (will) have 25 The Night Porters to give away in PAPERBACK. If you want an e-book instead, let me know. I prefer paperbacks so naturally I assume everyone else does (I'm just kidding, e-pop kids!).
Contact me on any media - FB, Twitter, Comments here - and when it is published, in approximately three weeks, I will POD the first 25 people to respond a copy and send it to your place.
I suggest that this will be in the UK and/or America as I will be doing this through Createspace.
Sorry - I had some trouble before with sending a book to Nepal and it left a lovely reader disappointed.
All I ask in return is that you review it on Amazon US/UK and any blog you have. If you can lend it to a pal after, then all the better. Not arsed about Goodreads.
Incidentally. If you HATE the book and my characters drive you mad, if you don't get past page thirty, if my comments and analyses leave you raging, or you don't think its very well organised, written etc, THEN GIVE ME A 1*.
Did you hear that bit?
A 1* is welcome if you think it is necessary. I won't troll you or comment. I'll just scratch my head like a man in a warm hat.
That is MUCH better than a no review. I am not swapping a book for a 5* review - I am swapping it for a review OF ANY KIND. I firmly believe it is quantity of reviews that is key rather than quality.
There you go, look, an opinion.
Believe me, it'll take you four or five hours to read. It is 250 pages long (ish) and has a magnificent sixties-retro matte Imperial Purple cover designed with Dawn of Dark Dawn Creations and it has been properly edited by Mary Ann Bernal.
It's the most readable and accessible book I have created. Hence the investment (I've been saving).
So. Contact me on FB, Twitter, my e-mail if you have it, or carrier pigeon.
I think you will enjoy the book. I'm hoping so and so are all the characters in the book.
Cheers, Mark/Wiz
Incidentally, if I am overwhelmed with applicants, which has happened before, I'll just put names in a hat. Ta!
Have you contacted Mark Barry yet to reserve your copy?http://greenwizard62.blogspot.com/Follow my blog with Bloglovin
THE OFFER
Did I mention the word FREE?
Have I emphasised that enough?
This is The Night Porter.
It is the first complete piece of work from Green Wizard/Mark Barry for a year.
It is approximately 250 pages long.
Those who have read the book so far - four people, my most trusted confidantes and allies - have described it as my best written work so far.
They don't bulls**t me either. They give it me good and proper if they think I need it, which is often.
Readers who have read my books, whether they like the stories I come up with or not, universally say I know my way around a keyboard. So that assessment means a lot.
The book is completely accessible.
It doesn't have the dark humour and shocking stories of Carla nor the cynical relationship monologues in Hollywood Shakedown.
It has none of the violence of the two football books - UV and BBVD - and none of the blood-curdling horror of The Ritual.
It is a puzzle, an experiment, an innovation. One of those lithographs of impossible design renaissance tricksters sold on Florence Market.
Every book I write, I try to do something different, something no-one else is doing.
Here's a big (unlike me) boast:
I don't think you will see an Indie published book like this anywhere in Cyberspace. Probably not a tradpubbed one either.
THE STORY
It's set in a hotel, in November, in the fictional town of Wheatley Fields, (based on Southwell, near Nottinghamshire, deep in Sherwood Forest). It is set over two weeks, underneath steel grey clouds of icy rain.
Four writers, all nominated for an upcoming awards ceremony, come to stay. One mega successful romance author, a top US thriller writer who sells in seven figures, a beautiful young YA tyro on the brink of world wide stardom...
...and a degenerate, nasty, bitter, jealous, trollish, drunken (but brilliant), self-published contemporary fiction author.
The eponymous, pseudonymous and anonymous Night Porter is instructed by a secretive and powerful awards committee to look after their EVERY need, to ensure they make it through the two weeks to attend the ceremony.
At the same time as keeping an eye on their wishes, antics, fights, relationships and never-ending ego explosions. And trying desperately to avoid getting involved himself.
It's a comedy drama about writers (and Night Porters!) with twists and turns, nooks and crannies, shadows and mirrors, alongside some of my bizarre preoccupations and obsessions.
It casts a sometimes shadowy light on modern publishing, the writing business - and the people in it.
Writers who like to read about writers and writing will enjoy the book.
They may not AGREE with the comments. In fact, I can think of two comments in there which are going to get us all in serious trouble, but it will make a writer think and react.
__________________________________________
THE DEAL
I (will) have 25 The Night Porters to give away in PAPERBACK. If you want an e-book instead, let me know. I prefer paperbacks so naturally I assume everyone else does (I'm just kidding, e-pop kids!).
Contact me on any media - FB, Twitter, Comments here - and when it is published, in approximately three weeks, I will POD the first 25 people to respond a copy and send it to your place.
I suggest that this will be in the UK and/or America as I will be doing this through Createspace.
Sorry - I had some trouble before with sending a book to Nepal and it left a lovely reader disappointed.
All I ask in return is that you review it on Amazon US/UK and any blog you have. If you can lend it to a pal after, then all the better. Not arsed about Goodreads.
Incidentally. If you HATE the book and my characters drive you mad, if you don't get past page thirty, if my comments and analyses leave you raging, or you don't think its very well organised, written etc, THEN GIVE ME A 1*.
Did you hear that bit?
A 1* is welcome if you think it is necessary. I won't troll you or comment. I'll just scratch my head like a man in a warm hat.
That is MUCH better than a no review. I am not swapping a book for a 5* review - I am swapping it for a review OF ANY KIND. I firmly believe it is quantity of reviews that is key rather than quality.
There you go, look, an opinion.
Believe me, it'll take you four or five hours to read. It is 250 pages long (ish) and has a magnificent sixties-retro matte Imperial Purple cover designed with Dawn of Dark Dawn Creations and it has been properly edited by Mary Ann Bernal.
It's the most readable and accessible book I have created. Hence the investment (I've been saving).
So. Contact me on FB, Twitter, my e-mail if you have it, or carrier pigeon.
I think you will enjoy the book. I'm hoping so and so are all the characters in the book.
Cheers, Mark/Wiz
Incidentally, if I am overwhelmed with applicants, which has happened before, I'll just put names in a hat. Ta!
The Phil Naessens Show: Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks; A Recipe for Disaster!
http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/the-phil-naessens-show-phil-jackson-and-the-new-york-knicks-a-recipe-for-disaster/
On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Michael Erler joins Phil to share why he believes the San Antonio Spurs need the home court advantage throughout the playoffs, Joe Mullinax joins Phil to discuss the top offensive lineman that should be taken in this years NFL draft and Craig Brenner joins Phil to discuss Phil Jackson possibly taking a front office job with the New York Knicks and what will undoubtedly come with such a move plus more great NBA and NFL talk!
On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Michael Erler joins Phil to share why he believes the San Antonio Spurs need the home court advantage throughout the playoffs, Joe Mullinax joins Phil to discuss the top offensive lineman that should be taken in this years NFL draft and Craig Brenner joins Phil to discuss Phil Jackson possibly taking a front office job with the New York Knicks and what will undoubtedly come with such a move plus more great NBA and NFL talk!
March 11, 2014
History Trivia - Cesare Borgia killed while fighting in Viana, Spain.
March 12
538 Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ended his siege of Rome and retreated to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Roman general, Belisarius.
604 Pope Gregory I died. Saint Gregory was the foremost influence in shaping the medieval papacy, and also reformed the mass, which enabled the development of the Gregorian Chant.
1088 Pope Urban II elected. He is perhaps best known for beginning the Crusade movement.
The Borgias
1507 Cesare Borgia was killed while fighting for the Navarrese king in the city of Viana, Spain.
538 Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ended his siege of Rome and retreated to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Roman general, Belisarius.
604 Pope Gregory I died. Saint Gregory was the foremost influence in shaping the medieval papacy, and also reformed the mass, which enabled the development of the Gregorian Chant.
1088 Pope Urban II elected. He is perhaps best known for beginning the Crusade movement.
The Borgias1507 Cesare Borgia was killed while fighting for the Navarrese king in the city of Viana, Spain.
The Phil Naessens Show Portland Trailblazers plus NBA Eastern & Western Conference Talk
On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Amar joins Phil to take a closer look at the NBA Eastern and Western Conferences and Dave Deckard joins Phil to talk about the Portland Trailblazers week ahead as well as how awful the New York Knicks are plus more great NBA Talk.
http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/the-phil-naessens-show-portland-trailblazers-plus-nba-eastern-western-conference-talk/
The Wizard's Cauldron: Hawaiian Paranormal author Amy "Godhunter" Sumida ...
The Wizard's Cauldron: Hawaiian Paranormal author Amy "Godhunter" Sumida ...: Multi-talented Amy Sumida Every now and again, my good friend and esteemed colleague Matt Posner ( h ttp://schooloftheages.webs.com/...
Mr. Chuckles conjures up Hawaiian Paranormal author Amy "Godhunter" Sumida - around the Wizard's Cauldron
The Wizard asks Amy to tell us about herself:
I was born and raised here in Hawaii. I went to a public school in Kaneohe where I was Goth before they had a name for it and an artist(to this day, I run into old classmates who know me as “that weird artsy girl”). That was pretty rough here, where everyone expects you to be an island girl, wearing cute cotton dresses and surfing in the afternoon. I actually hate the beach, there are pictures of me as a child, sitting on the beach with my sun-loving mother, holding a towel over my head. Want to read more about Amy? Click on the link: http://greenwizard62.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-fantastic-amy-godhunter-sumida.html
Everville author, Roy Huff, spotlights Mary Ann Bernal
http://www.owensage.com/3/post/2014/03/timeline.html
Bio
Mary Ann Bernal, author of The Briton and the Dane novels, is an avid history buff whose area of interest focuses on Ninth Century Anglo-Saxon Britain during the Viking Age. While pursuing a degree in business administration, she managed to fit creative writing classes and workshops into her busy schedule to learn the craft, but it would take decades before her “Erik the Viking” novel was ultimately published.
Mary Ann is also a passionate supporter of the United States military, having been involved with letter writing campaigns and other support programs since Operation Desert Storm. She has appeared on The Morning Blend television show hosted by KMTV, the CBS television affiliate in Omaha, and was interviewed by the Omaha World-Herald for her volunteer work. She has also been a featured author on Triangle Variety Radio, The Phil Naessens Show, and The Writers Showcase, and has been interviewed extensively by American and European bloggers.
Mary Ann is a New York “expat,” and currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska.
5 Questions for the author
What do you write and why do you write it?
My area of interest focuses on Anglo-Saxon Britain during the reign of Alfred the Great when the formidable Vikings terrorized all of Christendom. I am fascinated with the time period, for which there is scant documentation, leading to speculation and “filling in the dots” as to what actually happened in the late Ninth Century. The Briton and the Dane novels weaves controversial themes throughout the series, such as religious beliefs, violence, treachery and betrayal.
What do you hope to accomplish with your writing?
One of the themes running through The Briton and the Dane series is the plight of the warrior and his family. My stories shed light on the effect a warrior’s “career” has on the family, and the sacrifices made by loved ones. My subtle inferences are seen in today’s society, with our deployed men and women serving their county and preserving our freedom. Thank a service person and/or veteran for their service. Freedom is not free.
There are religious undertones in this series. Why did you take on such a controversial topic?
One of the terms of the peace treaty, after King Alfred defeated the Danish King Guthrum, was that the pagan Norseman was to be baptized into the Christian faith. When King Guthrum returned to his lands in East Anglia, his subjects were forced to accept Christianity, upon pain of death. I was curious as to how these people felt about being forced to deny the gods of their ancestors. Horrific stories of torture and death are very persuasive, just as they are today. The point being, would you give your life for your religious beliefs? Just how strong is your faith? Not an easy question. And, what of the guilt, if you choose to deny God?
Which one of your books from the Briton and the Dane series would you like to see as a film adaption and who would you have play the main characters?
The Complete Trilogy is an epic adventure - a great period mini-series that can hold its own against such epics as Pillars of the Earth, Camelot, Game of Thrones, et cetera. I would have an all-star cast that would need to work for union scale lest the cost to produce such an epic becomes prohibitive. I have cast every character in the story, but since space is limited... Chris Egan as Erik, Richard Armitage as Cerdic, Jeremy Irons as Richard, James Franco as David and Clive Owen as Stephen. And they all know how to wield a sword!
What prompted you to write The Briton and the Dane: Timeline?
When I first set pen to paper when writing The Briton and the Dane, the storyline was about Gwyneth and Erik’s relationship, and the problems they faced in a land ravaged by war and conquest. Gwyneth was a Christian Saxon and Erik was a pagan Danish Viking. Would their love survive the obstacles they had to face?
However, as the story evolved, the ancillary characters started demanding more representation, wishing to have to have additional “screen time.” Suddenly, there wasn’t enough room to satisfy everyone in one novel, which gave birth to the trilogy.
To me, Gwyneth and Erik shared the stage with too many players, and I do believe they felt cheated. I was toying with the idea of a standalone novel dedicated to Gwyneth and Erik, but what if fate had kept them apart, centuries apart? How would a 21st century Gwyneth fare in 11th century England?
Science Fiction and Anglo-Saxon England, two of my favorite topics in one novel. It cannot get any better than this.
The Briton and the Dane: Timeline - excerpt
The lobby was empty when she walked into the quaint building, a replica of an Anglo-Saxon lodging, which also happened to be her favorite inn.
“Dr. Franger, it is so good to have you back,” Edna Harris said. “Will you be having dinner with us this evening?”
“I would prefer to eat in my room if I may. I seem to be unusually tired.”
“That is understandable, the tiredness,” Edna replied as she beckoned the night porter to escort Gwyneth to her quarters.
As soon as Gwyneth was alone, she pulled the drapes back and stepped onto the patio, her eyes transfixed upon the solitary Keep that had been miraculously preserved. The radiant red and orange hues of twilight, coupled with the distant sound of waves breaking against the rocky shore, added to the mystique of the crumbling walls. She suppressed the urge to climb the tower before darkness set in. She wanted to glance upon the beach, just as Lord Erik would have done in another lifetime.
Fortunately, a gentle tapping on the door kept her from acting impulsively. She smiled at the night porter as he pushed the cart inside the room.
“Ham, peas, pudding, honeyed cakes, and a cup of mead, Dr. Franger.”
“Tell Mrs. Harris I am delighted with her choice,” Gwyneth replied as he left.
Gwyneth sipped the intoxicating brew, sitting on the settee as a soft sea breeze caressed her face. She closed her eyes, dreaming of a past she had never shared with the one man who held her heart.
“I will discover the truth,” she thought.
“I know you will,” whispered the wind.
The Briton and the Dane Timeline - Amazon Reviews:
A wonderful read
By Elisabeth
I loved Timeline. Gwyneth was not new to me I have followed her life already in Mary Ann Bernal’s Trilogy The Briton and the Dane (Which I can also highly recommend) But in Timeline Dr Franger takes us back on a journey to the Anglo Saxon time in England and Gwyneth comes alive in front of your eyes. This book has everything a good Historical novel should have, intrigue, betrayal, danger and of course love. Mary Ann Bernal’s love for that period is obvious. Her extensive research combined with her passion makes her books compelling reading. I highly recommend this book.
Enthralling
By K. Meador
I am a big fan of Mary Ann Bernal. I have read her trilogy and The Briton and The Dane: Concordia. Each book holds its own special flow and The Briton and the Dane: Timeline is no exception. Action packed, this book will keep you interested until the very end. It contains, deception, drama, heartbreak, and restoration. I loved the ending!
Terrific Trip on Timeline
By Ngaire
Mary Ann Bernal's latest novel was an enthralling read. She writes with great passion and clarity which draws the reader into the world of The Briton and the Dane. Timeline is a romance novel with snippets of historical reference and masses of adventure. I loved reading Timeline and like all Ms Bernal's novels when the story ends you wish it hadn't. Loved the mixture of the past with the future - well done!
Brilliant
By Tweet1
A an avid reader of history, especially about this period I could not wait for Mary Ann Bernal's new book 'Timeline' As always it did not disappoint. I did not put it down and loved how the 'Timeline' connected. yes I certainly recommend this book.
By Brenda
"You will go insane if you do not stop worrying about what will happen tomorrow. You must live this day given you; tomorrow will take care of itself."
This latest book in Mary Ann Bernal’s series is masterfully written, as I could visualize all the action going on around me and packed with ongoing suspense and captivating scenes that make it hard to put this book down. I was caught up in the emotional tale that was filled with romance, deception and intriguing encounters. This series is so delightfully entertaining that is makes you feel like you are a fly on the wall watching things that are not made for your eyes. Very clever the way the author tells such a unique tale that makes you want to know even more.
Timeline is from another time (past and present) which was not quite like anything I have ever read. I enjoyed every second I spent reading this fascinating book.
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New Release - The Briton and the Dane: Timeline
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Bio
Mary Ann Bernal, author of The Briton and the Dane novels, is an avid history buff whose area of interest focuses on Ninth Century Anglo-Saxon Britain during the Viking Age. While pursuing a degree in business administration, she managed to fit creative writing classes and workshops into her busy schedule to learn the craft, but it would take decades before her “Erik the Viking” novel was ultimately published.
Mary Ann is also a passionate supporter of the United States military, having been involved with letter writing campaigns and other support programs since Operation Desert Storm. She has appeared on The Morning Blend television show hosted by KMTV, the CBS television affiliate in Omaha, and was interviewed by the Omaha World-Herald for her volunteer work. She has also been a featured author on Triangle Variety Radio, The Phil Naessens Show, and The Writers Showcase, and has been interviewed extensively by American and European bloggers.
Mary Ann is a New York “expat,” and currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska.
5 Questions for the author
What do you write and why do you write it?
My area of interest focuses on Anglo-Saxon Britain during the reign of Alfred the Great when the formidable Vikings terrorized all of Christendom. I am fascinated with the time period, for which there is scant documentation, leading to speculation and “filling in the dots” as to what actually happened in the late Ninth Century. The Briton and the Dane novels weaves controversial themes throughout the series, such as religious beliefs, violence, treachery and betrayal.
What do you hope to accomplish with your writing?
One of the themes running through The Briton and the Dane series is the plight of the warrior and his family. My stories shed light on the effect a warrior’s “career” has on the family, and the sacrifices made by loved ones. My subtle inferences are seen in today’s society, with our deployed men and women serving their county and preserving our freedom. Thank a service person and/or veteran for their service. Freedom is not free.
There are religious undertones in this series. Why did you take on such a controversial topic?
One of the terms of the peace treaty, after King Alfred defeated the Danish King Guthrum, was that the pagan Norseman was to be baptized into the Christian faith. When King Guthrum returned to his lands in East Anglia, his subjects were forced to accept Christianity, upon pain of death. I was curious as to how these people felt about being forced to deny the gods of their ancestors. Horrific stories of torture and death are very persuasive, just as they are today. The point being, would you give your life for your religious beliefs? Just how strong is your faith? Not an easy question. And, what of the guilt, if you choose to deny God?
Which one of your books from the Briton and the Dane series would you like to see as a film adaption and who would you have play the main characters?
The Complete Trilogy is an epic adventure - a great period mini-series that can hold its own against such epics as Pillars of the Earth, Camelot, Game of Thrones, et cetera. I would have an all-star cast that would need to work for union scale lest the cost to produce such an epic becomes prohibitive. I have cast every character in the story, but since space is limited... Chris Egan as Erik, Richard Armitage as Cerdic, Jeremy Irons as Richard, James Franco as David and Clive Owen as Stephen. And they all know how to wield a sword!
What prompted you to write The Briton and the Dane: Timeline?
When I first set pen to paper when writing The Briton and the Dane, the storyline was about Gwyneth and Erik’s relationship, and the problems they faced in a land ravaged by war and conquest. Gwyneth was a Christian Saxon and Erik was a pagan Danish Viking. Would their love survive the obstacles they had to face?
However, as the story evolved, the ancillary characters started demanding more representation, wishing to have to have additional “screen time.” Suddenly, there wasn’t enough room to satisfy everyone in one novel, which gave birth to the trilogy.
To me, Gwyneth and Erik shared the stage with too many players, and I do believe they felt cheated. I was toying with the idea of a standalone novel dedicated to Gwyneth and Erik, but what if fate had kept them apart, centuries apart? How would a 21st century Gwyneth fare in 11th century England?
Science Fiction and Anglo-Saxon England, two of my favorite topics in one novel. It cannot get any better than this.
The Briton and the Dane: Timeline - excerpt
The lobby was empty when she walked into the quaint building, a replica of an Anglo-Saxon lodging, which also happened to be her favorite inn.
“Dr. Franger, it is so good to have you back,” Edna Harris said. “Will you be having dinner with us this evening?”
“I would prefer to eat in my room if I may. I seem to be unusually tired.”
“That is understandable, the tiredness,” Edna replied as she beckoned the night porter to escort Gwyneth to her quarters.
As soon as Gwyneth was alone, she pulled the drapes back and stepped onto the patio, her eyes transfixed upon the solitary Keep that had been miraculously preserved. The radiant red and orange hues of twilight, coupled with the distant sound of waves breaking against the rocky shore, added to the mystique of the crumbling walls. She suppressed the urge to climb the tower before darkness set in. She wanted to glance upon the beach, just as Lord Erik would have done in another lifetime.
Fortunately, a gentle tapping on the door kept her from acting impulsively. She smiled at the night porter as he pushed the cart inside the room.
“Ham, peas, pudding, honeyed cakes, and a cup of mead, Dr. Franger.”
“Tell Mrs. Harris I am delighted with her choice,” Gwyneth replied as he left.
Gwyneth sipped the intoxicating brew, sitting on the settee as a soft sea breeze caressed her face. She closed her eyes, dreaming of a past she had never shared with the one man who held her heart.
“I will discover the truth,” she thought.
“I know you will,” whispered the wind.
The Briton and the Dane Timeline - Amazon Reviews:
A wonderful read
By Elisabeth
I loved Timeline. Gwyneth was not new to me I have followed her life already in Mary Ann Bernal’s Trilogy The Briton and the Dane (Which I can also highly recommend) But in Timeline Dr Franger takes us back on a journey to the Anglo Saxon time in England and Gwyneth comes alive in front of your eyes. This book has everything a good Historical novel should have, intrigue, betrayal, danger and of course love. Mary Ann Bernal’s love for that period is obvious. Her extensive research combined with her passion makes her books compelling reading. I highly recommend this book.
Enthralling
By K. Meador
I am a big fan of Mary Ann Bernal. I have read her trilogy and The Briton and The Dane: Concordia. Each book holds its own special flow and The Briton and the Dane: Timeline is no exception. Action packed, this book will keep you interested until the very end. It contains, deception, drama, heartbreak, and restoration. I loved the ending!
Terrific Trip on Timeline
By Ngaire
Mary Ann Bernal's latest novel was an enthralling read. She writes with great passion and clarity which draws the reader into the world of The Briton and the Dane. Timeline is a romance novel with snippets of historical reference and masses of adventure. I loved reading Timeline and like all Ms Bernal's novels when the story ends you wish it hadn't. Loved the mixture of the past with the future - well done!
Brilliant
By Tweet1
A an avid reader of history, especially about this period I could not wait for Mary Ann Bernal's new book 'Timeline' As always it did not disappoint. I did not put it down and loved how the 'Timeline' connected. yes I certainly recommend this book.
By Brenda
"You will go insane if you do not stop worrying about what will happen tomorrow. You must live this day given you; tomorrow will take care of itself."
This latest book in Mary Ann Bernal’s series is masterfully written, as I could visualize all the action going on around me and packed with ongoing suspense and captivating scenes that make it hard to put this book down. I was caught up in the emotional tale that was filled with romance, deception and intriguing encounters. This series is so delightfully entertaining that is makes you feel like you are a fly on the wall watching things that are not made for your eyes. Very clever the way the author tells such a unique tale that makes you want to know even more.
Timeline is from another time (past and present) which was not quite like anything I have ever read. I enjoyed every second I spent reading this fascinating book.
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March 10, 2014
History Trivia - Goths lay siege to Rome
March 11
222 Emperor Elagabalus was assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies were dragged through the streets of Rome before thrown into the Tiber.
537 Goths laid siege to Rome.
1302 Romeo & Juliet's wedding day, according to Shakespeare.
1513 Giovanni de'Medici (Pope Leo X) was elected to the papacy. During his pontificate, he raised the papacy to significant political power and excommunicated Martin Luther.
1669 Mount Etna (Sicily) erupted. 990,000,000 cubic yards of lava were thrown out over four months, destroying a dozen villages. Ashes formed a double cone more than 150 ft high, now called Monti Rossi.
222 Emperor Elagabalus was assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies were dragged through the streets of Rome before thrown into the Tiber.
537 Goths laid siege to Rome.
1302 Romeo & Juliet's wedding day, according to Shakespeare.
1513 Giovanni de'Medici (Pope Leo X) was elected to the papacy. During his pontificate, he raised the papacy to significant political power and excommunicated Martin Luther.
1669 Mount Etna (Sicily) erupted. 990,000,000 cubic yards of lava were thrown out over four months, destroying a dozen villages. Ashes formed a double cone more than 150 ft high, now called Monti Rossi.
The Wizard of Notts recommends: Portchester Castle
Looking for a fun family day out? Visit Portchester Castle in Hampshire, South East England. It provides the perfect setting for a relaxed, fun, historic day out! The castle’s commanding location has made it a major factor in the Solent's defences for hundreds of years. The most impressive and best-preserved of the Roman 'Saxon Shore' forts, Portchester Castle was originally built in the late 3rd century. An exhibition in the keep interprets the history of the castle and Portchester village, and displays finds excavated on site. The inclusive audio tour explains life in the castle over the centuries. Don't MissThe exhibition in the keep that brings to life the history of the castle and Portchester The inclusive audio tour The opportunity for a family picnic surrounded by history Contact Site Telephone 02392 378291 Customer Services0870 333 1181Address Church Road, Portchester, Hampshire - PO16 9QW http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/portchester-castle/
