A.M. Swink's Blog

Gradarius Pre-Orders are Live!

The second book in the Roman Equestrian Series, ‘Gradarius’ now has a publication date: 18 OCTOBER 2025! This book has been a long time coming, and I cannot wait to share the next installment in Decimus and Luciana’s story with you! Preorder links are now LIVE on my website - please feel free to order from your favourite retailer! More links will pop up as they become available, so keep checking back if you don’t see your retailer of choice just yet.

I am so excited to share this book with you! I cannot wait for you to see how these characters develop (especially now that a particular red-haired Iceni woman is in the picture…).

Cover Reveal!

If you follow me on social media, this will not be news to you. Unfortunately, GRADARIUS has required a lot of TLC in the editing stages. I’ve been rewriting, moving, and editing passages in my manuscript since February. The developmental edit I received in May kicked that process into another gear, though travel made editing difficult to fit in.

The good news is, I’ve finally finished this next (and hopefully, final) draft of GRADARIUS. I am SO looking forward to sharing this next entry in the series with you. And I hope you will find the book worth the wait! Stay tuned for a publication date later this year.

But you don’t have to wait any longer to see the cover of ROMAN EQUESTRIAN II: GRADARIUS. Dee Marley of White Rabbit Arts worked her magic again and turned my truly terrible mockup into an absolutely stunning cover.

I am in love with it! The title, GRADARIUS, refers to a type of Roman horse used in warfare. Hence the mounted warrior on the coin adorning this cover.

The design is very loosely inspired by this rare coin discovered in Rennes, Gaul, depicting the horse goddess Epona mounted with a shield and spear in her hands.

The motif of a warrior riding into battle perfectly encapsulates GRADARIUS, as you will find the characters riding into their own personal battles. And, of course, there’s some far larger battles looming in the future, heralded by the introduction of a certain flame-haired warrior queen…

Stay tuned for details regarding release date and pre-orders! I will be sharing them soon!

Discovering My ancient Roots

As a descendant of immigrants, I have always wondered where I came from. That (and rude people asking, ‘what ARE you?’) spurred my interest in genealogy. From the time I was a teenager, I interviewed older relatives, searched census data, and compiled my family tree. And yes, I even submitted my DNA for ancestral analysis (and made all my family members do it, too).

While it was fascinating tracing each branch of my family tree to when they made the Atlantic crossing, the trail inevitably grows cold. You’re going to run into illiterate ancestors who left no records of their existence. I’m lucky enough to be able to trace my ancestry 11-12 generations, but everyone runs into a wall - anyone claiming possession of a complete tree of their ancestry from biblical Adam actually has a mostly-falsified record. There are simply going to be dead ends, no matter how far you probe. Our familial connection to our ancestors of antiquity has been severed.

That is, until I learned about something called archaeogenetics (thanks, Noa!). This is the study of DNA extracted from archaeological remains in order to better understand human genetics, evolution, habits, and migrations. And, as all DNA is inherited, well…suddenly your ancient ancestors can become visible again.

I uploaded my DNA data, containing all my genome markers, to a database repository containing the DNA sequences of hundreds of thousands of ancient remains. The system matched my DNA markers with those belonging to people who lived thousands of years ago. In ten minutes, I was enlightened.

I am EXTREMELY Celtic!

I have always known I was a mixture of European races, with the primary sources being Germanic Europe and the British isles, but I wasn’t expecting this nebulous historical group to dominate the ancient breakdown SO completely. Everyone represented here was quite formidable. With these results, I can look at the spotty classical sources and know that my ancestors were almost uniformly amongst the peoples Romans called ‘Barbarians.’ Don’t tell me that knowing you share DNA with the Goths won’t change how you view Alaric the Goth’s sacking of Rome. It’s (somewhat) more personal now.

I was even more surprised at the specificity of the tribes, with Dobunni being the most prominent. Looking at the individual DNA matches, I found I matched with both a pre-Roman Pocklington chariot burial and a native gladiator buried at Eboracum (York) around 250 CE, among several others. There’s a sliver of Belgae here, as well, so I can claim some shared ancestry with Decimus.

Generally speaking, my ancestors made problems for the Romans. The Goths, Visigoths, Vandals, and Ostrogoths are all here, as well as the Gauls, Franks, and Lombards. Of the Iron Age German tribes represented in my ancestry, the Marcomanni were particularly troublesome during Marcus Aurelius’s reign; and the Cherusci were the tribe of Arminius and Thusnelda, who engineered and headed the massacre of 3 entire legions in the Teutoburg forest. Wow!

Of course, that also means that my ancestry inevitably contains Romans. ‘Romans’ as in citizens of the Roman empire, which extended from northern Africa in the south, to Britain in the north, to Portugal in the west, to parts of west Asia in the east. While not of Italian extraction, people living within the empire could attain citizenship by serving in the auxiliaries (and several weren’t given the choice - they were pressed into service), by marrying a Roman citizen (like an ex-soldier settling in a colony), or, if they lived during/after the reign of Caracalla, just by dint of living within the bounds of the empire. Given the genetic similarities I have with the modern-day Welsh, I can quite confidently assert there are Roman Britons in my past.

There are other groups in here as well - a lot of Viking ancestry, which accords with the many Viking incursions made into the British Isles and mainland Europe during the dark ages. Of course, the Anglo-Saxons are there as well. The Gaels represent my Irish ancestry; my great-great-great grandmother was a Callahan whose parents immigrated from a tenement patch in Buttevant, County Cork. The O’Callahans are an ancient clan that can trace themselves to the 11th century, and my DNA genome reveals that my Irish ancestry extends back further to the Neolithic. One of the most exciting outliers is the Western Scythians, who were horseback warriors from the Eurasian Steppe. Horse Girls (gender neutral) have left hoofprints all over my DNA!

When it comes to the nebulously named ‘Celts,’ they comprise a much disputed, disparate spread of people across Europe and parts of Turkey that shared some cultural touchstones and, to a lesser extent, language and genetics. The two cultural movements, Hallstatt and La Tene, denote two different eras in the Bronze/Iron Ages represented by distinct art styles, pottery shapes, and lifestyles (and named for the sites in Europe where large hoards representing these eras were discovered). From the perspective of archaeogenetics, the ‘Celts’ are linked by a Y-DNA haplogroup known as ‘R1b.’ R1b dominates my DNA matches, hence the heavy Celticity in my ancient heritage breakdown.

My Y-DNA Haplogroup breakdown

R1b (in orange) accounts for more than 66% of my DNA matches.

Jean Manco published ‘Blood of the Celts,’ which examines haplogroup R1b and what it can tell us about the origin of these nebulous, troublesome ‘Celts.’ The connections established by archaeogenetics, tracing the earliest known ancestors of this haplogroup to Siberia in the late Ice Age, makes for fascinating reading. Equally interesting is seeing how the proto-Celtic language did (and didn’t) migrate with this haplogroup. Ephemeral objects, like pottery, swords, and statuary, flowed far more freely through ‘Celtic’ lands than language did. It supports a theory of ‘Celtic’ societies forming primarily through cultural exchange and gradual genetic integration rather than through wars and mass displacement theories. The gradual appearance of R1b in Britain doesn’t support the notion that ‘Celts’ migrated across the Channel in large numbers around 800 BC, as previously believed. Rather, R1b slowly diffused from Siberia to Britain through thousands of years of cultural and societal integration.

The origins of pockets of Celtic peoples in small sections of Turkey and Portugal, as well as the southern Alps, are likewise explored in Manco’s book with compelling thoroughness. The combination of artifacts, classical sources, and genetics combine to reveal answers as to how ‘Celts’ ended up in places so far removed from their assumed point of origin.

‘Blood of the Celts: The New Ancestral Story’ by Jean Manco, Thames & Hudson, 2015

Highly recommended reading!

The archaeological evidence likewise doesn’t support the theory of mass replacement of Neolithic Britons by Celtic Britons, which archaeogenetics backs up. In ‘GRADARIUS,’ I depict the Iron Age Britons as integrated with earlier Britons, who are more spiritually connected to their gods and therefore more mysterious. Is that inaccurate? Yeah, probably. But isn’t it fun to create a foundation for the later insular Celtic myths of the sidhe (shee), the fairy folk of the hills with mystical powers of premonition?

I find archaeogenetics utterly fascinating. This field of study, which can tell us where an ancient body was born from dental dendochronology (!), has only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to uncovering our origins. Manco’s treatise ends by speculating on the answers archaeogenetics might uncover in the future.

We are uncovering more about humanity’s ancient origins all the time, and learning where I fit into that ancient story has been highly rewarding!

I’m proud that I’m descended from so many disparate tribes that found ways to survive (and sometimes even thrive) despite the heel of Rome on their necks. And these peoples only represent a tiny, tiny cross-section of the ancient world. All ancient societies blow my mind. Your ancient ancestors, no matter your ancestry, were incredible people capable of amazing feats and wielders of many skills. Is there royalty in your lineage? Voyagers? Builders? Warriors? What values did their societies hold and what were their lives like? It’s up to you to discover them!

New Year, New award!

I begin 2025 with some excellent and entirely unexpected news: ‘Venator’ has garnered another award!

The Historical Fiction Company’s 2024 Book Awards have been released. To my shock, ‘Venator’ received an honorable mention in the Flaubert Ancient World category! I am so pleased with how well received my debut novel has been; I will forever look back on 2024 with humility and gratitude.

In further exciting news that I’ve shared on my socials, the 1st rough draft of ‘ROMAN EQUESTRIAN II: GRADARIUS’ is complete! I cannot wait to share my second book with you this year! The worst part of the process (editing, editing, editing) comes next, but I am well pleased with the bones of the story. I hope you enjoy it as well!

There’s still more cooking in the works, none of which I am ready to share just yet. All I can say is, watch this space.

Happy New Year!

The Coffee pot Book Club awards winner

I am overawed and overjoyed by the news I have to share. ‘Venator’ has garnered yet more awards - and they’re big ones.

You may remember the Coffee Pot Book Club, which put together my novel’s incredible blog tour earlier this year. They recently announced their 2024 Book of the Year award winners, and…

‘Venator’ only took GOLD in Ancient World!

I am sitting in some truly esteemed company here with my fellow medalists: Alison Morton, Linnea Tanner, and S. P. Somtow. I highly recommend you check out their award-winning novels as well!

Exsilium by Alison Morton

Apollo’s Raven by Linnea Tanner

Imperatrix by S. P. Somtow

This also made ‘Venator’ a finalist in the overall Book of the Year category, which is deeply humbling. I never thought my writing would rank with such fine authors of historical fiction. Do look at all the category winners, along with Elizabeth St. John’s ‘The King’s Intelligencer,’ which won Book of the Year!

Many thanks to Cathie Dunn and the wonderful folks at the Coffee Pot Book Club for reading and spotlighting me and so many incredible authors this year. I am very, truly grateful!

‘Venator’ Is Now An Award-Winner

I’m very excited to announce that ‘Venator’ just took first place in the fall 2024 Bookfest awards! You can view the awards page here.

The BookFest Awards “honors authors who create outstanding works of fiction and nonfiction. Books are judged in categories based on genre, theme, and aesthetics.  Entries were vetted by an initial team, then the final places were determined by an elite team of experts in the literary and entertainment world.

Awards are assigned based on first, second, third and honorable mention, according to their score by judges.

This means that sometimes not every category has a first place, second and/or third place winner. If no books in that category rated appropriately, then no award was granted in that place. Likewise, several books sometimes tie for first place, second and third place. Much like getting a letter grade in school, sometimes there are more “A”s in the class because there are outstanding students who warrant that grade. Books are similar. Sometimes there are several outstanding books deserving of their place in The BookFest Awards.

The goal in the judging process is to highlight books that are well written.”

The fact that ‘Venator’ garnered top honors from this panel is deeply humbling. I’m extremely grateful.

This is a first for me and I’m very proud of my little book. I hope you, the reader, have enjoyed it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. There’s much more to come for the Roman Equestrian series.

Dublin: An Indie Writer’s Paradise

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the International Dublin Writers’ Festival in Dublin, Ireland. While I have visited southern Ireland before, this was my first foray into the nation’s capital and I found it to be a writer’s Mecca. The city is extremely literary, with an incredible array of bookstores, libraries, museums, and quotes (to say nothing of conferences). For example, I couldn’t help but snap this while waiting at a crosswalk:

The city offers a lot of beautiful 19th-century architecture, with Trinity College sitting at its center. My sister, who travelled to the city with me, experienced the Book of Kells and the long room, but my time outside of the conference was extremely limited, so I opted to spend it perusing the National Museum of Ireland’s Archaeology wing.

This museum is free to enter and walk through, which is an incredible gift: there is so much for the history buff to see here! I knew I’d made the correct choice when I walked into the entrance rotunda to find an elaborate Roman-style tile mosaic representing the zodiac covering the entire floor.

Cancer baby.

The museum thrusts you into an extensive set of prehistoric and Neolithic artifacts that boggle the mind - seeing woven materials, undamaged grave goods, and enormous carved items astonished me. The wet, boggy conditions of Ireland have worked to preserve these natural materials far longer than they ever could have otherwise lasted. When looking at these beautifully crafted items, you cannot help but marvel at the skill and intelligence possessed by early humans.

A portion of a woven bag more than 4,000 years old.

Bronze-age tassels woven from horsehair. 

The golden Bronze-age hoards were abundant, consuming the entirety of the central ground floor. The wings extending out from the main floor included exhibits displaying some finds from the hills of Tara, relics from Glendalough - one of the earliest Christian refuges on the island, a compelling wing exhibiting Iron Age and early Christian artifacts, and the impressive kingship & sacrifice wing.

Miniature model of the hills of Tara, the traditional and ancient seat of the high kingship.

The kingship & sacrifice wing contained several Iron-Age bodies of young men preserved in bogs. The incredible condition of the remains of these men provide us a window into our ancestors of 2,000 years ago, though these men were very likely human sacrifices. The manner of their death and the indications of high or princely rank evidenced by their remains falls into line with other contemporary bog bodies found across Celtic Europe. It was a very moving, thoughtfully and respectfully presented exhibit. The remarkably preserved condition of one man’s hands, down to his dirt-encrusted fingernails, make the distant past all the more real.

The hands of Oldcroghan Man.

This is what I love about ancient history - it reaches out to us from the mists of the past to tether us back to our common humanity. As a descendant of German, Irish, British, Viking, and Gaulish peoples, I’m under no illusion that my ancestors were brutal. But the ways in which they lived and communed with one another in their Iron Age environments conveys a deeper set of convictions and senses of self that, in the modern day, I cannot find.

The upstairs portion of the museum contained primarily medieval Irish artifacts, including several pieces of horse harness, statuary, and equipment that I found fascinating. Check out the display of medieval spurs - they look no different from modern-day roweled spurs.

The second floor also offered an extensive wing of Viking artifacts, including a scale model of Viking Dublin and contemporary seacraft. This wing contains, significantly, the oldest known stirrup in Ireland. It looks like this convention was introduced to the Irish via the Vikings during the dark ages.

Oldest known stirrup found in Ireland, exhibited alongside the earliest known spurs (not pictured) found in Ireland. Spurs and stirrups came to Ireland with the Vikings.

Additionally, there was an extensive exhibit about Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf, alongside relics belonging to Boru and his descendants. The second floor also included medieval-era and Renaissance garments that, once again, were remarkably well-preserved.

My favourite wings on the second floor, however, were the Egyptian wing replete with incredible Roman-era artifacts and the Roman-era pottery on display from ancient Cyprus (including the adorable horseback figurine). The mummy portraits of Roman women displayed in the Egyptian wing are so realistic - and they underline just how diverse the Roman empire actually was. The dice, lamps, and mini altars invite us into Roman-era homes and daily life. The glasswork from this period never fails to take my breath away. What made me gasp this time, however, were the remarkably well-preserved Egyptian textiles from the 3rd century AD (late Roman era). Seeing any preserved fabrics from the Roman era is exceedingly rare, so I was in awe of the amount of woven fibre on display at this museum.

Roman-era textiles from ancient Egypt. 3rd Century AD.

The Archaeology Museum in Dublin is a true treasure trove, and I could not have picked a better single attraction to visit during my limited outside-conference hours.

Now, moving on to the conference itself: I could not have had a better time attending the sessions and connecting with fellow writers at the International Dublin Writer’s Festival. Our conference rooms (and the cushy lobby where chai lattes were consumed and the chat flowed) were situated at the Academy Plaza Hotel located in the heart of Dublin.

The sessions provided over the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the conference brimmed with helpful exercises, panels, advice, and collaboration in a warm, welcoming creative space. All authors, both aspiring and published, were linked by a common desire to tell the stories that burned within them. No judgment or gatekeeping was in sight - with its specific focus on indie and self-publishing, there was no talk of indie authors not ‘counting’ as actual authors. Presenters sat beside us new and hopeful authors in the audience when not sharing their own expertise. And the networking periods during coffee/tea breaks never seemed to last long enough!

Some highlights from the conference sessions include: the wild goat herder story concocted during the story creation workshop, Glenda Cimino’s character interrogation activity, Anna Graham’s helpful advice regarding beta-reading and common writing traps to avoid, the self-publishing panel, Katherine Mezzacappa’s wonderful session over historical writing, Shawn Warner’s incredible story and experience marketing through TikTok, the nerve-wracking pitch session with wonderfully astute and helpful feedback provided by Audrey Wilson and Cathleen Young, Catherine Dunne’s insightful window into the creative process, and of course, Alison Morton’s visually stimulating discussion regarding how to refill the creative well.

Alison's insightful and empowering session.

I made so many new friends from all over the globe, all of whom have incredible stories they are writing or about to write. I highly recommend Sam L. Greene’s academic memoir examining their nonbinary life experiences amidst the political hostility towards the LGBT+ community in their home nation of Greece, ‘Between the Folds.’ There are even more incredible things to come out of our group, which you will no doubt see me crowing about here, and I so appreciate the genuine connections forged among our group. Amena, Kayla, Eve, Barbara, Anna, Sam, Janae, Rhayn, Alex - it was a pleasure and a privilege meeting you all and I look forward to our writing paths crossing again in the future!

Thanks to Glenda for introducing me to the poetry of Anne Hartigan and the late Fred Johnston. The collections I now own provide such a strikingly beautiful window into contemporary Irish poetry and will be savoured for years to come. And thanks also to Alison for recommending Elisabeth Storrs to me - her trilogy now sits on my never-shrinking TBR pile!

The highest of thanks of course goes to Laurence O’Bryan and Tanya Slijepčević for putting together this incredible event. I hope to return to Dublin for this conference again in the future!

The morning before my departure, my sister and I ducked into the Dublin Chapters located across the street from our hotel. The treasures encased within made me shake with giddy excitement. So, so many books - used and new - were offered at incredible prices, including more titles on my wantlist than I ever thought I could find! The enchanting Emerald Isle held one last magical surprise for me.

Dublin Chapters, dressed for Autumn and full of surprises

I was so pleased to see that the store included its own dedicated historical fiction section (more bookstores need to do this), rows upon rows upon rows filled with new and used titles - including a bunch of old Lindsey Davis paperbacks and the first book in Ruth Downie’s Medicus series featuring a humorous title I hadn’t seen before!

And, thanks to my sister, I managed to steal away with more books than I really should have purchased.

Total Britain and Ireland haul. Why do I always do this?

Until next time, Ireland!

HNS UK 2024 Round-Up

Two weeks ago, I made my way with trepidation towards Paignton in Devon, UK. After awkwardly getting a taxi to drive me out to the Premier Inn, checking in to my room, and waiting interminably for another taxi to take me to Dartington Hall just outside of Totnes, I made it to the first night of the Historical Novel Society’s 2024 UK Conference. I was so overawed and busy that I completely forgot to take any pictures of the venue, so I’ve resorted to using a Wiki Commons photo:

The main hall and west wing. It wasn't snowy when we were there, but just as grey. 

The buildings were quaint but beautifully historical and made for a perfectly apt setting for the Historical Novel Society conference. (Plus, there were loads of quiet nooks and crannies and beautiful scenery to get lost in and write.) The cobbled courtyard ringing the central lawn did seem to transport you to another time and place.

             The only photo I took of the grounds - a random tent set up near                the entrance to the gardens. Taken from the outdoor seating of                  the White Hart. 

The impossibly hard trivia quiz proved the perfect ice-breaker, as I found myself meeting several lovely authors from all over the globe (see the links below to check some of them out)!

                               Name badge picked up at registration

A subset of us from the Paignton group had such a nice evening that we missed the conference bus to the Premier Inn and pooled for a taxi home later on!

Saturday morning kicked the conference off in earnest, with a thoughtful and humourous keynote speech from the prolific and legendary Bernard Cornwell. His experiences and advice regarding screen adaptations of one’s works had us in stitches!

             Bernard Cornwell at the lectern in the Great Hall. 

The panel on making the medieval period come to life in historical fiction, featuring Elizabeth Chadwick, David Gilman, and Matthew Harffy (chaired by Derek Birks and Sharon Bennett Connolly) included several insightful pieces of advice about how to make a historical world come to life (particularly when you don’t have as many records to work off of…). I made several notes throughout the session that ranged on everything from worldbuilding to character development to historical re-enactors.

I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t grab a photo of Ian Mortimer’s turn at the lectern, as I was far too busy furiously taking notes as he spoke! This was one of the most interesting and thought-provoking conference sessions, in which Mortimer described the limitations of the traditional academic view of history and provided a more relative basis for historical writing and interpretation in post-modern philosophy (‘Free History’), one in which the line between fact and fiction is (necessarily) less distinct. This sort of abstraction and philosophy of the field was right up my alley, and I encourage you to take a moment to read Mortimer’s lecture, which he graciously posted to his website for us to re-read and continue to mull over.

After that exhilarating session, I was thrilled to listen to Katherine Mezzacappa pick the inimitable Kate Quinn’s brain about her writing process. Her method of getting into the heads of her characters, in which she figures out what expletive each character would say if they stubbed their toe, was revelatory. I loved how much she touched upon her novels written in the Roman period, contrasting them against works depicting later periods in history. She was giving us a taster for Sunday’s Roman panel (more to follow) which I very much enjoyed!

                              Kate Quinn sharing her genius!

I was so inspired by the morning’s sessions that I skipped the parallel sessions to plot out and make an earnest start on shaping Roman Equestrian 2 into a proper novel! But you’d better believe I didn’t miss my chance for Kate Quinn to sign my copies of her books! I brought along ‘Daughters of Rome’ and (finally) purchased ‘Mistress of Rome’ from the conference book shop. Kate was very sweet and signed both books as I chatted my foolish head off. I shared my affinity with her horse-crazed character Diana from ‘Daughters of Rome’ and I love how she signed my book:

She shared that not much has been done on the screen option for ‘Day of Fire’ beyond all the authors involved inking the contracts - here’s hoping we get more Romans heading to our TV screens in the future!

I got dressed for the gala dinner in the west wing, where I got to meet the lovely Cathie Dunn (who hosts the Coffee Pot Book Club and blog tours) in person and met Nancy Jardine, Paula Lofting, Pam Thomas, and their wonderful crew for the first time!

Thanks to Rachel E. Joyce for taking some photos of me dressed in my Roman getup for the gala!

On the way into the Great Hall, I was fortunate enough to bump into Ruth Downie (of the incredible ‘MEDICUS’ series) and had a bit of a fangirl moment. She was so kind and reassured me that none of us authors really know what we’re doing!

At dinner, I was seated next to a young woman named Clare Lehovsky, who has written a poem about the legend of Romulus and Remus from the POV of their she-wolf surrogate mother. I highly recommend you give it a read! Ian Mortimer provided an entertaining talk about the hyperbolic history of the UK’s ‘oldest pubs’ and the evening was capped off with The Sea Gals performing beautiful sea shanties.

Sunday morning started with Diana Gabaldon (in conversation with Chris Humphreys) giving a refutation (of sorts) of Bernard Cornwell’s keynote speech. Her approach to the adaptation of her ‘Outlander’ series has been radically different from Cornwell’s ‘take the money and run’ stance, and it was fascinating to listen to her experiences writing scripts and acting as a consultant on the show. Gabaldon’s done so much for historical fiction authors because she’s broken just about every accepted rule and succeeded (wildly) regardless. Don’t accept the twaddle from agents and publishers that there ‘is no market’ for your book - you just have to beat down the doors by creating it!

                              The one and only Diana Gabaldon!

Then came my personal highlight of the offered conference sessions: the panel ‘Taking the Romans Public’ featuring three empresses of Roman fiction: Alison Morton, Kate Quinn, and Ruth Downie.

And they came dressed to impress in Roman-era garb!

I have SO admired these incredible women and their books, so I was hanging onto every single word! They brought up insightful points regarding our current-day fascination with the Romans, the (largely inaccurate) adaptations of Romans on screen, and the ways in which they as authors respectively endeavour to show the Roman world in all its complexities (the inhabitants of the empire were NOT all Romans - they were of many ethnicities and races; Roman women encountered far more freedoms and ways in which they could exert ‘quiet power’ than women living in ancient Greece; the radical ways in which Romans treated religion and the impact of those treatments today, to name just a few!).

We got some pretty pictures to illustrate the session once the 'slave' got the tech up and running (Kate sacrificed a goat outside to ensure it would work)!

They did bring up an excellent point: regardless of their quality as entertainment or their historical accuracy, popular media depicting the Romans benefit ALL of us Roman fiction authors as our sales increase when Romans become part of the zeitgeist. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed the Gladiator sequel can do half as much for us as the original film did at the turn of the century!

After the session, I managed to talk to Ruth again, bringing my faded edition of ‘Medicus’ for her to sign. I was saddened to hear work has stalled on the latest adventure of Russo and Tilla, but I shall patiently pray to Mercury that Ruth will deliver us the next book in the series someday in the future!

Alison was absolutely delightful, demonstrating the damage a gladius could do and signing both my copies of ‘Julia Prima’ and ‘Inceptio’ for me! I look forward to seeing her present again at the Dublin International Writers’ Conference!

As an added treat, I got to meet Linnea Tanner in person after the session! She was, like me, meeting her heroes and I thanked her for hosting ‘Venator’ on her blog! If you haven’t yet checked out her Curse of Clansmen and Kings series, what are you waiting for? If you need more Roman soldier/Celtic princess romance in your life (and in my opinion, we all do), you need to start reading Linnea’s series right away!

We regrouped in the Great Hall for Jane Johnson’s session over translating real life to page. Her lecture was as vivid and beautiful as her novels, finishing with a highly emotive anecdote about how researching one of her novels led to her meeting her husband. There was much she offered to teach us, and I spent all of her lecture scribbling as many of her points into my notebook as possible.

For the final parallel session, the studios had closed due to a smoke alarm going off, so Alex Weston’s session over writing historical dialogue took place in the upper solar room. I appreciated how structured her session was, as she came prepared with a PowerPoint (that we unfortunately couldn’t see but received the file as a download afterwards) and conducted the session as if it were one of her writing workshops. The difference between us and her typical university students meant she catered her instruction to historical fiction in particular. It was, once again, a session in which I recorded many, many notes.

The conference closed out with S.G. Maclean discussing her writing process and how she accidentally ended up writing historical mysteries. The importance of place and Maclean’s passion for historical archive research was profound. Her passion once again leant so much to the session, and it ended the conference on a happy, uplifting note.

Cards collected over the course of the conference, surrounding my trusty Roman notebook containing as much of the speakers' knowledge as I could record

I am so grateful to Tracey Warr, Richard Lee, Rebekah Simmers, and Katherine Mezzacappa for putting together an incredible conference. I walked away from it with so many new friends and a wealth of valuable knowledge from a stellar lineup of speakers. I am already looking forward to the time when this ‘colloquy’ meets again!

My conference tote surrounded by my newly signed treasures!

In the meantime, I have a number of authors to shout out and recommend for you to read. Wonderful writers and lovely humans all:

Jennifer Sherman Roberts has written a delightful historical mystery set in 17th century England. Suspected witchcraft, alchemy, loveable characters, and a crafty little crow - what more could you want?

Kate Robertson has a forthcoming Elizabethan thriller releasing in 2025 from Sapere Books, and I can’t wait to read it! Her blog is RICH in fascinating historical research!

Nancy Jardine has already penned six novels in her Celtic Fervour series, set in northern Britannia in the late 1st century AD - when Rome turns its eyes towards conquering the lands of the northern tribes. If you love Roman fiction, you will adore Nancy’s books!

Paula Lofting has written an impressive duology chronicling the Anglo Saxon warrior Wulfhere in the years immediately preceding the Norman invasion of England (with a third book to come). Her ability to faithfully render 11th century life is a marvel!

Virlana Kardash has written a thrilling spy mystery entitled ‘Cherry Blossom Blues,’ and has some very intriguing future novels in the works!

Blog Tour and Giveaway Time!

Hello, all!

This Friday sees the wrap-up of the blog tour for ‘Venator,’ the first book in the Roman Equestrian series. This tour was put together by the lovely Cathie Dunn at the Coffee Pot Book Club and features a number of different free excerpts from the novel. I’ve collated them all here for your reference, as there are a lot of incredible blogs run by fellow historical fiction authors and readers here for you to enjoy:

Oh look, another book!

When Angels Fly

Let Your Words Shine

The Historical Fiction Company

CelticLady’s Reviews

Let Us Talk of Many Things

Jennifer C. Wilson’s Official Blog

The Coffee Pot Book Club

Mary’s Bookcase

The Whispering Bookworm

Wendy J. Dunn’s Official Blog

Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion

Brook’s Journal

Catherine Meyrick’s Official Blog

MJ Porter’s Official Blog

Ruins & Reading

Archaeolibrarian

Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne

Historical Fiction Blog

Linnea Tanner’s Official Blog

I cannot thank these lovely people enough! I’m so thrilled that ‘Venator’ is finding its audience!

To top off a whirlwind week of virtual book touring, I’m giving away THREE (3) reviewer packages of ‘Venator’ plus goodies on Goodreads Giveaways! The winners will receive

-a signed copy of ‘Venator’

-2 bookmarks

-a Roman Equestrian pin badge

-a holographic sticker

-a replica Cunobelin stater

PLEASE NOTE:

This giveaway is for readers 18 years of age or older, as the novel contains mature content not suitable for younger readers. The giveaway is open to US residents only.

The giveaway ends September 3, 2024, so put your entry in here!

In other news, I am preparing to fly back overseas this September, where I will be attending both the Historical Novel Society conference in Devon and the Dublin International Writers’ Festival in Dublin. I hope to connect with and share ‘Venator’ with British and Irish readers while I’m there!

Some more events are in the works. Watch this space…

Thanks for everything! I hope you enjoy riding the pages of the first entry in my Roman Equestrian series!

History Bards/Down Under Interviews

My chat with Paul Rushworth-Brown for History Bards and Down Under Interviews is now live on Paul’s channel! I have linked the interview below for your viewing pleasure.

I very much enjoyed talking to Paul about horses, my characters, the writing process, and my ongoing research process. I hope you enjoy our conversation as well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUBBeFbMg6o&ab_channel=PaulRushworth-Brown