Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 131

"The Battles Of Hastings" - A #SciFi #Book by #Author STEPH BENNION

The Battles Of Hastings
By STEPH BENNION

Who really won the Battle of Hastings? Eighteen-year-old Jane Kennedy, a twenty-first-century Chicago girl on her first field assignment, had expected a simple mission to gently ease her into the time-bending realities of her new job. Yet here she was, lying semi-conscious amidst the wounded and dying
of a particularly gruesome battle, wondering what the hell she had let herself in for. In this novella based on Jane’s memoirs, follow her strange journey through multiple realities as her fellow time travellers each realise they come from a future with a different past. Is there a rogue on the loose out to change history? The Battles Of Hastings is a romp through alternate time lines in England 1066 to mark the 950th anniversary of the invasion that shaped Britain and Europe today.

Buy it from Smashwords in multiple eBook formats, which will work on your computer, or on pretty much any eReader or tablet.

Find out more about Steph and her books by visiting her website.

"They Marvel at the Star" A #HistoricalFiction #Book by #Author L J Hick

They Marvel at the Star
By L J Hick

Thomas is a member of the Fyrd and is recruited into Harold Godwinson's army to confront Duke William II of Normandy. He is befriended by a blond-haired man called Kauko as they march to war. Thomas has no time for lords, kings or gods of any kind but Kauko seems to have a large amount of time for Thomas. Why is Kauko so interested in the welfare of a farmer's son, and just what does he intend to do with him? As the relationship develops and the pair of them confront the stupidity and darkness of war, Thomas comes to realise that they did not meet by chance. In fact, Kauko has been preparing for this for a long time.

Buy it from Smashwords in multiple eBook formats, suitable for reading on your PC, or on just about any eReader or tablet.

Learn more about Les and his books via his Smashwords profile or his website.

"Norman Blood" - A #HistoricalFantasy #Book by #Author Barbara G. Tarn

Norman Blood
By Barbara G. Tarn

Nineteen-year-old Robert Malet followed William the Bastard to England to claim the English throne. The battle near the small town of Hastings is the beginning of the Norman conquest of England, but also of Robert's second life.

A vampire in 12th century Europe traveling, fighting and meeting his siblings in darkness, changing names through the years when his mortal life is gone. Follow Robert Malet, Brother Geoffrey, Robert Capuchon and Mercadier through the years. History and fantasy based on medieval chronicles for a Vampires Through the Centuries novella.

Buy it from Smashwords in multiple formats that work on a variety of eReaders and other devices, as well as from Barnes & Noble, from Amazon US or UK, or from Kobo.

You can learn more about Barb and her books by going to creativebarbwire.wordpress.com or unicornproductionsbooks.com.

Battle Of #Hastings #Children's #HistoricalFiction #Book Release: Eadweard - A Story Of 1066

It’s October 14th 1066, and King Harold’s Saxon army is about to go in to battle against Duke William’s invading Norman army. Among the ranks of the Saxons are two boys who shouldn’t be there: Eadweard, and his best friend, Cerdic.

Daydreams of becoming great war heroes had the boys convinced to disobey their Fathers and go to war, despite the possibility of punishment if they were caught. Now it’s time for the battle to begin, and Eadweard is starting to wish he’d stayed home after all. But it’s too late to turn back now, and Eadweard finds himself witnessing the events of the battle that would later be called The Battle Of Hastings, and learning how different from his imaginings the reality of war actually is.

*Note: This is a work of fiction, which is based on actual events. It tells the story of the battle between King Harold’s Saxon army and Duke William’s Norman army, which took place a short distance away from the town of Hastings on October 14th 1066, in a place now known simply as Battle. Though this is a children’s story, the recommended reading age for this book is eight years and over, since it is a story that takes place on a battlefield, and therefore contains scenes of violence that are not suitable for younger, or more sensitive, readers.

That's the description for "Eadweard - A Story Of 1066" - my first historical fiction book, which is officially released today, in honour of today being the 950th anniversary of The Battle Of Hastings.

You can already buy the eBook from Smashwords in all formats they offer, as well as from a few other eBook retailers (such as Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Kobo, and a few others). So, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks, there will be a format that works for you via one of those sites.

For those who prefer a physical book... Fear not! A paperback version will become available as soon as possible in the near future; watch my Wednesday blog posts for an announcement of its availability.

Battle Of #Hastings Timeline (LBE)

Tomorrow (October 14th 2016) marks the 950th anniversary of The Battle Of Hastings.

So, while Hastings, Battle, and the surrounding areas, prepare to enjoy their anual celebrations this weekend, I thought I'd kick off the "Wyrd Worlds: Battlefield 1066" celebrations on my blog by sharing a timeline of the events around that time for those with an interest in history that are too far away to participate, or those people - near to Hastings or otherwise - who just want to learn more about the battle.

Every day from now until October 19th, my posts will follow the same theme, as I, along with some of the other Smashwords authors involved in the "Wyrd Worlds" anthologies, celebrate the anniversary of the battle in our own ways. So, if you're a fan of historical fiction, historical fantasy, and/or alternative history with a science fiction element, make sure to stop by my blog every day during this next week.

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January 4th 1066
The Death of Edward the Confessor

January 6th 1066
Harold Earl of Wessex crowned King of England

April 1066
Halley's Comet

Spring 1066
Norman mission to Rome to seek Papal support for the Norman Invasion
Preparation for the Battle of Hastings

July 1066
Harold gathers the English army at the South Coast of England in Preparation for the Norman Invasion

July 1066
William prepares his fleet for the English invasion at the River Dives in Normandy

September 1066
The Vikings! Harald Hadrada, King of Norway, launches a Viking invasion

20th September 1066
The Battle of Gate Fulford - The Vikings defeat the English led by Morcar

21st September 1066
Harold marches his army from the South Coast of England to York to defend against the Viking Invasion!

September 25th 1066
The Stamford Bridge Battle - Harold defeats King Harald Hadrada and the Vikings at York

September 27th 1066
Duke William sets sail for England - The Norman Invasion begins

September 28th 1066
Duke William lands at Pevensey, on the South coast of England. The Norman Invasion

September 29th 1066
Duke William occupies Hastings, on the South coast of England

October 1st 1066
Harold , celebrating his victory over the Vikings at York, receives news of the Norman invasion
Harold marches his army back from the North of England to the South of England to defend against the Norman Invasion!

October 6th 1066
King Harold arrives in London

October 1066
The English Army prepare their defences at Senlac

Friday 13th of October 1066
Negotiations between the Normans and Saxons - William demands that King Harold either resigns his royalty in favor of William, refers it to the arbitration of the Pope or let it be determined by the issue of a single combat. King Harold declines

Saturday 14th of October 1066
The Normans and the Saxons prepare for battle - the Battle of Hastings
William Raised the Papal Standard and issued battle orders to the Norman army
Norman Foot soldiers led the way, the archers followed and finally the Norman knights on horseback.
Battle Plans - A fence and a fosse were built as a part of the Saxon defences. The men of Kent were entitled to strike first, the London men guarded King Harold. The Saxon army had no cavalry but stood in close ranks
The Norman servants, priests and clerks looked on whilst the Norman army advanced in three columns
Normans moved on to the assault, and the English defended themselves well
The Two Armies met. Each side taunted the other. The armies exchanged blows and many Normans died in the fosse (ditch).
The Battle raged for hours. A new scheme was adopted by the Norman archers. Arrows were shot in upward in the air striking the faces of the English soldiers. Many had their eyes put out and the arrows flew thicker than rain
An arrow struck Harold above his right eye, and put it out. Many other English soldiers have suffered a similar fate due to the strategy of the Norman archers.
The Saxons still continued to defend well. The Normans then adopted another strategy which deceived the Saxons
The English believed that the Normans were in retreat. The English pursued the Normans and foolishly broke their ranks.
The English were unable to compete against the knights on horseback. The Saxon barricades were broken. The living marched over heaps of the dead and many were crushed in the throng.
The wounded King Harold was killed and his body mutilated by the Normans.
Their King was dead and their Standard lost - many English soldiers fled. William had won the Battle of Hastings - he was the Conqueror
The great Battle of Hastings had raged between 9am and 3pm

Sunday 15th of October 1066
Both the Normans and the Saxons buried their dead. William the Conqueror had defeated the Saxons at the Battle of Hastings and now made ready to conquer the English
Defeat at the Battle of Hastings

October 21st 1066
The Submission of the Saxons at Dover

October 29th 1066
The Submission of the Saxons at Canterbury

December 25th 1066
Duke William is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey in London

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Above taken from http://www.normaninvasion.info/timeline-battle-hastings.htm.

Mollie the #Chinchilla Turns 1!

Today (October 12th 2016) our eldest chinchilla, Mollie, is having her very first birthday.

Yeah, I know it's gone fast. In Mollie's case, the time between when we brought her home and her birthday has gone quicker than normal anyway, because Mollie was already half way through her first year by the time we brought her home.

Still, it's hard to believe we've already had her home with us for about five and a half months!

She's not quite as reserved with us as she was when we firtst brought her home, and has shown herself to be a sweet little girl who loves attention and nibbles. Mollie does still have some issues with depression, and maybe she always will, but we never hold her bad days against her. After all, everyone's entitled to bad days, right?

Anyway... Happy birthday Mollie!

#Writing Wednesday - October 12th 2016

Firstly, a recent announcement from those who brought us PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Ideas Month)... It's going through some changes.

Secondly, here's a post by Ross Harrison about the upcoming Battle of Hastings stories, which you'll be hearing a lot about in the next week, since this coming Friday is the 950th anniversary of the battle. Ross isn't involved in the story writing this time, but he's a fellow Smashwords author, and contributed stories to Wyrd Worlds and Wyrd Worlds II, which are the science-fiction and fantasy anthologies the Smashwords group on Goodreads did in the past (some of you may remember that I was involved with Wyrd Worlds II). Oh, and... Just in case you missed my post about it yesterday... those of us involved in writing stories about the battle are answering questions all month on this thread, and I'm offering to repost the questions asked on my blog on to the thread on your behalf.

Thirdly, if you're not sure how to approach interaction on social media, just remember to CARE about your readers.

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If you're an author, and if you're anything like me, your least favourite part of being an author is the marketing. Unfortunately, without the marketing getting done, nobody's going to buy the books we write, are they? So, take a look at these 11 ways to overcome marketing dread, and see if you can make your marketing plan more inviting. While you're at it, you may also like to check out these easy ways to streamline your author brand and winning strategies for your author event. Plus, with the new enhanced, and more flexible, coupon options from Smashwords, you have a bit more flexibility if part of your marketing campaigne is going to include coupons for eBooks you publish via Smashwords.

Regardless of your plans for marketing, here's a great article on how a little knowledge can go a long way when it comes to writing a story readers will love. Plus, these next couple of articles will be useful if you're writing something where you need to make sure you get your facts right about Medieval England, or know the differences between China and Japan.

As this next post explains, you need mini goals to complete your novel. This doesn't just apply to those 80 thousand words or longer ones mind you. It doesn't matter how long, or short, your writing project is, setting mini goals and rewarding yourself when you reach them can be a great way to encourage yourself to complete that story you always wanted to write. Plus, getting the rewards makes the writing process even more fun than it already is!

Finally, with the big holidays upon us, you may like to read this article on crafting seasonal stories that sell.

Wyrd Worlds: Battlefield 1066 - Ask The #Authors

Some of the authors who brought you "Wyrd Worlds" and "Wyrd Worlds II" have teamed up to bring you stories of the Battle of Hastings.

Now they're also taking questions about themselves and their stories. So, if you have anything you want to ask Barb, Les, Steph, or me, pop on over to the thread on the Smashwords Authors group on Goodreads, which can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/18291520-october-2016-hastings-1066-authors

Or, if you can't post on the thread for whatever reason, feel free to post your questions in the comments section below this post, and I'll post them to the thread on your behalf.

#Reading Ramblings: #Book Scents And Reading #Challenges

Do you know what I miss most about being able to read a physical book?

The scent!

Even my brother, Carl, who has never been able to read print, loves the scent of a good paperback or hardback book.

If you do too, you may appreciate this post on the scent of a book.

I might have to see if I can get me some of those book scented candles...

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None of the Goodreads groups I'm on have been doing challenges lately, hence the lack of posts about them. However, I've been doing my yearly Goodreads reading challenge, of course... That just requires me to make sure I mark a book as read on Goodreads after I've finished reading it.

My 2016 reading goal was set to 216 books. If you know me, and how much I read, you probably won't be all that surprised to hear that I actually already met - and passed - my reading goal for the year. Kelly says I'm making it too easy on myself. Maybe he's right... Maybe next year I should actually challenge myself?

Random Question: Of #Motorbikes And #Bees - Is it Just Me? It probably is!

Motorbike engines make different sounds, depending on various factors, which I think have to do with engine size and the type of bike, but don't quote me on that because I don't know much about that kind of thing.

Anyway, my question is: did you ever notice that some motorbikes, when heard from a distance, produce a droning sound very similar to that which would most likely be produced by a giant bee?

Or, is it just me? Am I alone in thinking this?

Judging by the reactions of my hubby, brother, and Dad, it's probably just me... Maybe I've finally lost it completely?