Jess Steven Hughes's Blog, page 33
November 4, 2012
Number One in Sales in Fiction for Publisher
I just learned via Sunbury Press's news release that due to my book signing events, my historical, THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE was overall number 2 in paperback sales for October for the publisher and number one in paperback sales for fiction for the same.
http://www.sunburypress.com/News___Ev...
http://www.sunburypress.com/News___Ev...
Blog update - Book Signing and More
Book Signing
Another good book signing day. On Sat, Nov. 3rd, I spent the late afternoon signing many copies of my historical novel, THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE, @ Hastings Books, Music & Videos, Wenatchee, WA. It got off to slow start but to use a musical phrase, it ended with a resounding crescendo. Met lots of nice people with whom I discussed the novel, gave lots of informational packets and book markers.
I also had on display the oiled portrait of Macha, used for the book cover, that was painted by my niece, Katrina Hughes Brennan, who is a professional artist. The picture received a lot of compliments not to mention questions as to who was the artist that painted the piece. I was only too glad to tell them.
I want to thank book manager, Martha Lynn, and associates Sara and Thomas for making this a very successful event.
Next Saturday, I will signing at ALL THINGS IRISH in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Autographs for Ebooks
For those of you who read ebooks on Kindle you can now obtain an electronic signature for your copy of The Sign of the Eagle by clicking onto the below link. There it will ask you to click onto signature request. In turn I will receive an email and will be able to electronically sign your copy.
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/Je...
Novel in Progress: The Wolf of Britannia
The rewrite continues on The Wolf of Britannia (working title, I'm open to title ideas). I finished the rewrites on chapters 48 and 49. After many raids and guerrilla attacks on Roman positions, Caratacus is forced to withdraw north into the land of the Ordivices (Wales) where he will make a final stand (he doesn't know it yet) at the hill fortress of Carsws. He has asked Queen Cartimandua for aid. While she promises to send him reinforcements "when the time is right" she has failed to send them.
The Broken Lance
I read chapter 30 to the Spokane Novelist Group, Saturday Oct. 27th, in which I depict a very graphic and horrifying torture scene. Prior to the reading I had sent this and two other chapters to my book doctor/editor, Erin Brown, for an evaluation before continuing the writing (which has been limited since my priority is "Wolf"). She loved it and said it was well written. I won't be attending any more meetings until after Christmas because of my book signings which continue through November and December.
That's all for now. Thank you for your support.
Another good book signing day. On Sat, Nov. 3rd, I spent the late afternoon signing many copies of my historical novel, THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE, @ Hastings Books, Music & Videos, Wenatchee, WA. It got off to slow start but to use a musical phrase, it ended with a resounding crescendo. Met lots of nice people with whom I discussed the novel, gave lots of informational packets and book markers.
I also had on display the oiled portrait of Macha, used for the book cover, that was painted by my niece, Katrina Hughes Brennan, who is a professional artist. The picture received a lot of compliments not to mention questions as to who was the artist that painted the piece. I was only too glad to tell them.
I want to thank book manager, Martha Lynn, and associates Sara and Thomas for making this a very successful event.
Next Saturday, I will signing at ALL THINGS IRISH in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Autographs for Ebooks
For those of you who read ebooks on Kindle you can now obtain an electronic signature for your copy of The Sign of the Eagle by clicking onto the below link. There it will ask you to click onto signature request. In turn I will receive an email and will be able to electronically sign your copy.
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/Je...
Novel in Progress: The Wolf of Britannia
The rewrite continues on The Wolf of Britannia (working title, I'm open to title ideas). I finished the rewrites on chapters 48 and 49. After many raids and guerrilla attacks on Roman positions, Caratacus is forced to withdraw north into the land of the Ordivices (Wales) where he will make a final stand (he doesn't know it yet) at the hill fortress of Carsws. He has asked Queen Cartimandua for aid. While she promises to send him reinforcements "when the time is right" she has failed to send them.
The Broken Lance
I read chapter 30 to the Spokane Novelist Group, Saturday Oct. 27th, in which I depict a very graphic and horrifying torture scene. Prior to the reading I had sent this and two other chapters to my book doctor/editor, Erin Brown, for an evaluation before continuing the writing (which has been limited since my priority is "Wolf"). She loved it and said it was well written. I won't be attending any more meetings until after Christmas because of my book signings which continue through November and December.
That's all for now. Thank you for your support.
November 1, 2012
Electronic Book Signing
You can now obtain my autograph for your electronic copy of THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE by clicking onto this link and follow the directions from there. This for Kindle only. Thank you.
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/Je...
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/Je...
Book Signing Reminder
BOOK SIGNING. I will be signing copies of my action/suspense historical novel, THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE, @ Hastings Books, Music & Videos, 315 Ninth St., Wenatchee, Washington, Saturday, November 3rd, 1-4 p.m. For those unable to attend you can PURCHASE SIGNED COPIES OF MY NOVEL ONLINE from one of four bookstores who are carrying them by going to my website www.jessstevenhughes.com and click onto the store of your choice. You can also download as an ebook from either Kindle or Nook. Thank you for your support.
October 26, 2012
Wine in Ancient Rome and Book Review
Book Review: Spartacus the Gladiator
by Ben Kane
This is an excellent historical by Ben Kane. He has become a master of stories from ancient Rome, especially, the Republican era.
In Spartacus the Gladiator, using what limited information that is available (a total of approximately 4,000 written words from ancient writings) and produces in a very logical and methodical order about the life of this famous gladiator and rebel. The characters of Spartacus, his wife, the Dionysian Priestess, Ariadne, Crixus, the vicious Gallic gladiator, and Carbo, the dispossed Roman who voluntarily became a gladiator are believeable.
Unlike the tv mini-series, Spartacus, Blood in the Sand, which really stretches factual history, Ben Kane remains true or at least trie to in telling what probably happened
This is the first volume in which we see Spartacus returning to Thrace after spending eight years as an auxiliary cavalryman. He learns that his father and brother had been murdered by a usurper Thracian king, Kotys. He himself is betrayed and sold into slavery and sent to Rome to be trained as a gladiator. Ariadne follows him and what many readers don't realize is that women sometime did follow their men into this type of captivity.
Carbo contracts himself to become a gladiator after his parents lose there farm and cannot repay their loan to Marcus Licinius Crassus, Rome's richest man.
Most of us know that ultimately Spartacus and the gladiators rebel and subsequently flee to Vesuvius where they hold off and defeat several Roman legions. I won't go into all the details, but Ben Kane follows very closely what is known about this time and does an excellent job of filling in the gaps.
The first volume ends when the slave army defeats a Counselor army of two legions in Northern Italy. Will Spartacus and his slaves be able to leave Italy? That remains to be seen.
This is a great novel and I look forward to reading the next volume.
Wine in Ancient Rome
Just as France and Italy today are famous for their fine wines, not to mention its consumption, Ancient Rome was no different. According to the ancient saying, "...every Roman has his wine."
However, the Romans did consume other beverages made from wheat and barley, and also from fermented quince juice. For daily purposes beer and distilled liquors (e.g. Syrian whiskey) never appeared at Italian banquets. Cider was sometimes drunk, and little so-called "wine" made from mulberries; but the enormous vineyards existing in every part of Italy testified to the importance of ordinary grape wine.
Vintners stalls were almost as common along Rome's streets as bakeries (in some instances' there were more). The drink was sold in jars, skins, or small flagons and sometimes decidedly resinous after the Greek fashion (e.g. modern Retsina), and in any case was extremely sour, so that a large admixture of honey was often required to make the favorite sweet mulsum. Anybody who would drink their wine undiluted were considered nothing less than sheer barbarians by the Romans. They considered that any really good wine could stand as much as eight parts of water to one without losing too much flavor.
There were as many varieties of wine as there were regions around the Mediterranean. Each produced a vintage that was tolerable and some highly select. Your average poor plebeian could get a large jug of palatable stuff for a sesterce (4 cents). The wealthy would think nothing of paying heavily for an amphorae (tall jars) of a choice old Setinian (the best wine in Italy), or for Falernian, Albania, or Massic which counted next among the Italian vintages. If however, a Roman gave a formal dinner party, etiquette dictated that at least one imported drink was to be served. It made an excellent impression on the guests to bring in Chian, Thasian, or Lesbian from the Aegean, or even Mareotian from Alexandrian, Egypt, or the exotic Chalybonium from Damascus, the delight of Mid-Eastern Kings.
During the summer the wines were drunk cold, and at luxurious banquets they were even chilled with snow water. In the winter, a kind of bronze samovar, heated by charcoal, was used for preparing calda, warm water and wine, heavily charged with spices; and at the cheap eating houses the calda counter was often thronged, especially on chilly afternoons.
Common soldiers, slaves, and plebeians of the lowest class had a special beverage all their own, namely posca, which was simply vinegar mixed with enough water to make it palatable. It probably formed a really refreshing drink to those who could acquire a taste for it. Posca was more than likely the drink in which the sponge was steeped, that was extended to Jesus as He hung on the cross.
In every great house the wine cellar retained a number of web-covered and dirty glass jars carefully sealed with gypsum, and with labels showing that they were laid away perhaps a hundred years before.
As for the undesirability of wine-drinking, that idea hardly crossed any person's mind. The poet, Horace, in Cesar Augustus's day voiced a universal thought when he sang that good wine, "Made the wise confess their secret lore; brought hope to anxious souls, and gave the poor strength to lift up his horn."
by Ben Kane
This is an excellent historical by Ben Kane. He has become a master of stories from ancient Rome, especially, the Republican era.
In Spartacus the Gladiator, using what limited information that is available (a total of approximately 4,000 written words from ancient writings) and produces in a very logical and methodical order about the life of this famous gladiator and rebel. The characters of Spartacus, his wife, the Dionysian Priestess, Ariadne, Crixus, the vicious Gallic gladiator, and Carbo, the dispossed Roman who voluntarily became a gladiator are believeable.
Unlike the tv mini-series, Spartacus, Blood in the Sand, which really stretches factual history, Ben Kane remains true or at least trie to in telling what probably happened
This is the first volume in which we see Spartacus returning to Thrace after spending eight years as an auxiliary cavalryman. He learns that his father and brother had been murdered by a usurper Thracian king, Kotys. He himself is betrayed and sold into slavery and sent to Rome to be trained as a gladiator. Ariadne follows him and what many readers don't realize is that women sometime did follow their men into this type of captivity.
Carbo contracts himself to become a gladiator after his parents lose there farm and cannot repay their loan to Marcus Licinius Crassus, Rome's richest man.
Most of us know that ultimately Spartacus and the gladiators rebel and subsequently flee to Vesuvius where they hold off and defeat several Roman legions. I won't go into all the details, but Ben Kane follows very closely what is known about this time and does an excellent job of filling in the gaps.
The first volume ends when the slave army defeats a Counselor army of two legions in Northern Italy. Will Spartacus and his slaves be able to leave Italy? That remains to be seen.
This is a great novel and I look forward to reading the next volume.
Wine in Ancient Rome
Just as France and Italy today are famous for their fine wines, not to mention its consumption, Ancient Rome was no different. According to the ancient saying, "...every Roman has his wine."
However, the Romans did consume other beverages made from wheat and barley, and also from fermented quince juice. For daily purposes beer and distilled liquors (e.g. Syrian whiskey) never appeared at Italian banquets. Cider was sometimes drunk, and little so-called "wine" made from mulberries; but the enormous vineyards existing in every part of Italy testified to the importance of ordinary grape wine.
Vintners stalls were almost as common along Rome's streets as bakeries (in some instances' there were more). The drink was sold in jars, skins, or small flagons and sometimes decidedly resinous after the Greek fashion (e.g. modern Retsina), and in any case was extremely sour, so that a large admixture of honey was often required to make the favorite sweet mulsum. Anybody who would drink their wine undiluted were considered nothing less than sheer barbarians by the Romans. They considered that any really good wine could stand as much as eight parts of water to one without losing too much flavor.
There were as many varieties of wine as there were regions around the Mediterranean. Each produced a vintage that was tolerable and some highly select. Your average poor plebeian could get a large jug of palatable stuff for a sesterce (4 cents). The wealthy would think nothing of paying heavily for an amphorae (tall jars) of a choice old Setinian (the best wine in Italy), or for Falernian, Albania, or Massic which counted next among the Italian vintages. If however, a Roman gave a formal dinner party, etiquette dictated that at least one imported drink was to be served. It made an excellent impression on the guests to bring in Chian, Thasian, or Lesbian from the Aegean, or even Mareotian from Alexandrian, Egypt, or the exotic Chalybonium from Damascus, the delight of Mid-Eastern Kings.
During the summer the wines were drunk cold, and at luxurious banquets they were even chilled with snow water. In the winter, a kind of bronze samovar, heated by charcoal, was used for preparing calda, warm water and wine, heavily charged with spices; and at the cheap eating houses the calda counter was often thronged, especially on chilly afternoons.
Common soldiers, slaves, and plebeians of the lowest class had a special beverage all their own, namely posca, which was simply vinegar mixed with enough water to make it palatable. It probably formed a really refreshing drink to those who could acquire a taste for it. Posca was more than likely the drink in which the sponge was steeped, that was extended to Jesus as He hung on the cross.
In every great house the wine cellar retained a number of web-covered and dirty glass jars carefully sealed with gypsum, and with labels showing that they were laid away perhaps a hundred years before.
As for the undesirability of wine-drinking, that idea hardly crossed any person's mind. The poet, Horace, in Cesar Augustus's day voiced a universal thought when he sang that good wine, "Made the wise confess their secret lore; brought hope to anxious souls, and gave the poor strength to lift up his horn."
October 22, 2012
They Liked Me In Missoula, Montana and More
On Saturday, May 20th, I conducted another successful book signing @ Hastings Books, Music & Videos--this one in Missoula, Montana. After getting off to a slow start, the people really showed up during the last couple of hours, and it turned out to be the best session that I have yet to host. Again, I had the portrait of Macha, painted by my niece, Katrina Hughes Brennan, which was used for the book cover of The Sign of the Eagle, on display. This received many compliments, and those who were interested in more details I referred to my website.
Missoula is home to the University of Montana and also offers one of the best creative writing programs in the western USA. There is a big writers colony here. It seemed that every other person who came to the store was wearing a Montana Grizzlies jacket, Jerseys or shirt (it is also a big football town). Regardless, they like historical fiction and definitely wanted copies of THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE.
I want thank Hastings associate, Allison, of the book department, and the other Hastings associates for being so accommodating and making this my most successful signing to date.
Work in Progress - the Wolf of Britannia
The rewrite of my historical novel, The Wolf of Britannia (working title) continues. I finished the rewrite of chapters 46 and 47 and had it reviewed by my mentor and fellow author, Patricia DeMars Pfeiffer (I dedicated The Sign of the Eagle to her). After making the changes she suggested, I finished and now am reviewing and rewriting chapter 48. This may also be split into two chapters. In this chapter the Roman, Porcius, has been dispatched by General Scapula, now Imperial Governor of Britannia, to negotiate an alliance with Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, a Celtic tribe in Northern Britannia.
More Writer Activities
Last Sunday, Oct. 21st, I met with the Spokane Valley Writers Group @ Starbucks, inside Barnes & Noble--Eastside (Spokane Valley) store. I read chapters 37 & 38 from my other ongoing historical novel, The Broken Lance. These chapters dealt with a confrontation between my main character, Marcellus, who is a retainer for Flavius Sabinus, and his enemy, the young tribune and soon to be senator, Gallus. The group found only minor problems and these chapters will be eventually read to the Spokane Novelist Group for a tougher evaluation.
My primary emphasis at this point is to complete the rewrite of Wolf of Britannia first. I have a deadline with my book doctor, Erin Brown, May, 2013. So, The Broken Lance, I am rewriting only when I have spare time which has not been much lately. However, I will be attending the Oct. 27th meeting of the Spokane Novelist Group and will read from The Broken Lance. Because of the numerous book signings I have conducted, I have missed several of their meetings. This will be the first one I have attended in more than two months. It will be the only one I attend until December because I am conducting five more book signings during November.
That's all for now. My next book signing will be at Hastings Books, Music and Videos, Wenatchee, Washington, Nov. 3rd. Thank you for your support.
October 18, 2012
Book Signing Reminder
BOOK SIGNING. I will be signing copies of my historical novel, THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE, @ Hastings Books, Music & Videos, 2501 Brooks St., Ste A, Missoula, Montana, Saturday, Oct. 20th, 1-4 p.m. For those who cannot attend, you can purchase a SIGNED COPY ONLINE from one of four independent book stores found on my website www.jessstevenhughes.com and click onto the store of your choice. The novel is also available as an ebook on Kindle and Nook. Thank you for your support.
October 14, 2012
Book Signing Follow-up @ Hastings, Moses Lake, WA
Book signing follow-up. Turnout for book signing @ Hastings, Moses Lake, was rather small. However, I still signed books, handed out all my info packages and met a lot of nice people. The manager was pleased with my efforts and has invited
me back for another signing in the spring.
Next Saturday, I will be signing copies @ Hastings, Missoula, MT. Thank you for your support.
me back for another signing in the spring.
Next Saturday, I will be signing copies @ Hastings, Missoula, MT. Thank you for your support.
October 11, 2012
Reserch for my Novels
by
Jess Steven Hughes
Over the years I have accumulated a personal library of more than five hundred books on Celtic, Classical, Medieval and Mid-Eastern History which I use in the research and writing of my historical novels. This does not include various magazines, journals and other papers that I have collected, not to mention using the internet for the same purpose. I am always acquiring more information in an effort to make my novels as authentic as possible.
Before I wrote my first historical novel, The Sign of the Eagle, and the two novels I am currently writing, I had to learn the fundamentals of writing fiction as opposed to writing history. This included: plot, characterization, scene, setting, dialogue, descriptive narration, the difference between showing and not telling, etc. Only after I had attended writing seminars and workshops for several years did my abilities as an author of novels finally emerge..
Always keep in mind, I write first and foremost, FICTION; I don't write HISTORY. I use historical events and backdrops for my stories. My historical novel, The Sign of the Eagle, which was recently accepted for publication by Sunbury Press (www.sunburypress.com) is an example. The story takes place in Milan and Rome in 71 A.D. The main character, Macha, is a Celtic woman married to a Roman officer, Titus. He has been wrongfully accused of treason and conspiring to assassinate the Emperor Vespasian. Macha must almost single-handedly prove his innocence.
Historians have speculated there were several conspiracies against the life of Emperor Vespasian, but only two appeared to have been recorded as found in The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius or in The Histories by Cassius Dio. Therefore, my story is a fictionalized account of one possible unrecorded attempt on Vespasian's life. I wrote it from what I believe to be a different perspective using an unlikely protagonist, a Celtic woman. Why not?
Before I could fully develop The Sign of the Eagle, e.g. the characters, plotting, setting, scene, dialogue, etc., I started by researching the overall history of the Roman Empire and the Celtic world. Such books included but not limited to: History of Rome - Michael Grant; Rome - M. Rostovtzeff; From the Gracchi to Nero - H.H. Scullard, Invasion: the Roman Conquest of Britain - John Peddie; The Agricola - Tacitus; The Histories - Tacitus; The Annuls of Imperial Rome - Tacitus; Rome Against Caratacus - Graham Webster; The Celts - Gerhard Herm; The World of the Celts - Simon James; etc.
I continued with geographical locations. I narrowed down the story to Milan, Rome and the Italian country side. This included studying: Muir's Historical Atlas: Ancient and Classical - Edited by R.F. Treharne and Harold Fullard; Atlas of the Roman World - Tim Cornell and John Matthews; The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome - Peter Connolly and Hazel Dodge; etc.
I had to consider historical events that occurred prior to those in my novel which were important to the story's background. Among these I included the great civil war of 69 A.D. known as the Year of the Four Emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian). For this I referred to: The Long Year A.D. 69 - Kenneth Wellesley; The Twelve Caesars - Michael Grant; The Twelve Caesars - Suetonius, The Army of the Caesars - Michael Grant; etc. In my story, Macha's husband, Titus, fought in this war against the forces of the short-lived Emperor Vitellius at the Battle of Cremona. Titus was part of one of Vespasian's advanced units.
Other events included the invasion of Britannia in 43 A.D. and the eventual capture of the British Chieftain, Caratacus, Macha's father (see above Invasion, etc). He was brought to Rome along with his wife and Daughter and ultimately pardoned by the Emperor Claudius. We don't know the daughter's actual name, I chose a good Celtic name, Macha. Caratacus was ultimately pardoned and disappeared from history, but there was no reason why I could not use his daughter for a story.
For her background, I described her growing up being Romanized but clinging to many Celtic customs. Prior to the story, she married Titus, who was a born in Rome. His parents were Gauls, but his father was a Roman Senator, one of the first Gauls admitted to the Senate under the Emperor Claudius
Because I used a Celtic protagonist, I had to research Celtic as well as Roman customs re: daily living, the role of women in the Celtic and Roman worlds, the gulf between the classes, slavery, etc., religion, the military (Celt and Roman), descriptions of city life, especially, in Rome, etc. My research included: A Day in Old Rome - W.S. Davis; Daily Life in Ancient Rome - Jerome Carcopino; A Roman Villa - Jacqueline Morely; The Sixteen Satires - Juvenal; The Epigrams of Martial - Translated by James Michie; The Satyricon - Petronius; Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity - Sarah B. Pomeroy; Celtic Women: Women in Celtic Society and Literature - Peter B. Ellis; The Gods of the Celts - Miranda Green; Celtic Art - Ruth and Vincent Megaw; The Complete Roman Army - Adrian Goldsworthy; The Roman Cavalry - Karen Dixon; The Vigiles of Imperial Rome - P.K. Baillie Reynolds; Fighting Elite: Celtic Warrior 300 B.C. - A.D. 100 - Stephen Allen and Wayne Reynolds; etc.
It was only after I had conducted sufficient research that I finally wrote my story. However, I wasn't finished. I had to run the gauntlet of two writers groups, The Spokane Novelists and The Spokane Writers Group which month after month reviewed and bled all over my chapters until the manuscript finally met their expectations. Even then I wasn't through, I sent my manuscript to a "Book Doctor," an editor whom had spent many years with Harper-Collins before going into private business. Fortunately, she is a very ethical person (there are some real charlatans out there) who was very thorough and answered all my subsequent questions after she had reviewed and returned my novel for more work. My efforts paid off. After many rejection slips, The Sign of the Eagle was accepted for publication.
If you are interested in learning more about The Sign of the Eagle and when it is scheduled to be published, please check out my website www.jessstevenhughes.com.
October 8, 2012
Book Signing Follow-up and Blog
Experienced another good book signing for THE SIGN OF THE EAGLE, Sat. Oct. 6th. This one took place at Hastings Books, Music & Videos - Lincoln Heights (part of the South Hill area)- Spokane, Washington. Lots of people stopped by, picked up and bought my novel. The book manager, Theresa Uptagrasst, said I was a great salesman and is going to schedule me for a Christmas signing in December (probably know by this coming Friday). This is close to home and with the snow and ice which will be around by that time, it suits me fine. I plan to keep my signings close to home during that period (I have one coming up the Saturday after Thanksgiving). You can see a photo from the event by going to my website www.jessstevenhughes.com and click onto the blog page.
I want to thank book manager, Theresa Uptagrasst, and all the Hastings Associates for their help in making this a successful event.
My next signing will be @ Hastings Books, Music & Videos, 601 S. Pioneer Way, Moses Lake, Washington, Saturday, Oct. 13th, 1-4 p.m.
My rewrite of this novel continues at a steady pace. I have rewritten chapter 44, which deals with the dispersing of Caratacus's warriors and breaking the news of Rhian's death to Dana. In addition, I have created a new chapter which describes a raid on Noviomagnus Harbor by Caratacus and he now has changed strategy and is now waging guerrilla warfare on the Romans. I have had these chapters reviewed by my mentor and author, Patricia DeMars Pfeiffer. She found mostly minor problems and with one more rewrite of each chapter, I will continue onward.
When I was visiting my son, Chris, and his family last week in San Jose, California, I spent some time @ Barnes & Noble (the Pruneyard, Campbell) working on the rewrite of chapter 46. I will finish that once I complete the rewrites of chapters 45 & 46. This has been a long process and it is not completed yet by a long shot. Then I will continue work on The Broken Lance, which I had temporarily suspended.
I now have a new author's page on Amazon. It is still a work in progress, and hope to add the book trailer soon, but check it out anyway. Click onto this link http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009D4BPQ2
I want to thank book manager, Theresa Uptagrasst, and all the Hastings Associates for their help in making this a successful event.
My next signing will be @ Hastings Books, Music & Videos, 601 S. Pioneer Way, Moses Lake, Washington, Saturday, Oct. 13th, 1-4 p.m.
My rewrite of this novel continues at a steady pace. I have rewritten chapter 44, which deals with the dispersing of Caratacus's warriors and breaking the news of Rhian's death to Dana. In addition, I have created a new chapter which describes a raid on Noviomagnus Harbor by Caratacus and he now has changed strategy and is now waging guerrilla warfare on the Romans. I have had these chapters reviewed by my mentor and author, Patricia DeMars Pfeiffer. She found mostly minor problems and with one more rewrite of each chapter, I will continue onward.
When I was visiting my son, Chris, and his family last week in San Jose, California, I spent some time @ Barnes & Noble (the Pruneyard, Campbell) working on the rewrite of chapter 46. I will finish that once I complete the rewrites of chapters 45 & 46. This has been a long process and it is not completed yet by a long shot. Then I will continue work on The Broken Lance, which I had temporarily suspended.
I now have a new author's page on Amazon. It is still a work in progress, and hope to add the book trailer soon, but check it out anyway. Click onto this link http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009D4BPQ2
