Paula Lofting's Blog, page 2
July 15, 2016
PAULA'S PEOPLE: KAREN JANE AMINADRA, CELEBRATES HER 8TH NOVEL
Please welcome the lovely Karen Aminadra to Paula's People's Author Spotlight. Karen has just launched her latest book The Most Suitable Bride - and she is giving away some wonderful prizes, so listen in! Go do your stuff Karen!
Today I am celebrating the launch of my eighth novel! Yes, eighth!
I cannot even believe I am here already! It has been such an exciting journey and wonderful four years since I published my first novel.
The Suitable Bride is book 2 in The Emberton Brothers series and is a clean Regency romance novel.
In the first novel, we followed the story of Richard, the eldest of the three brothers. In this book, we follow Edward the middle one.
Edward is the driven one out of the three. He has spent years working hard at achieving his dream. He’s a politician and dreams of being Prime Minister of Britain one day. He knows the advantages there are to be had in marrying and is eager to find a bride from amongst the set who will help advance his career.
Frances Davenport is the daughter of a lord. She is privileged and has led a life that has had its ups and downs…literally speaking ;-) She’s a little naughty. She doesn’t believe there is one single man out there who can please her as a husband and is resigned to that fact. Until she meets Edward, that is…
To celebrate the release of The Suitable Bride I am having a bumper giveaway with a big list of goodies! Please visit my BLOG to enter! And good luck!
BLURB
Edward Emberton wants to be Prime Minister. He has a passionate vision for the future of England, which includes the abolition of slavery. As the son of a tradesman, his journey to Parliament has been a difficult one, but there is only one thing left to cement this foothold on the steps to Parliament – a suitable bride. She must be of noble birth, reasonable intelligence, mild temperament, and extraordinary beauty.
Frances Davenport is most of those things. And a suitable marriage to Edward isn’t only the answer to her prayers; it’s a way to keep her secrets. Edward is handsome, driven, and better still, enchanted by her beauty. It’s more than a suitable match; it couldn’t be more perfect.
But appearances are often deceiving, and Frances’ beguiling beauty comes with its own set of problems. Edward and Frances are about to discover that there’s more to marriage than suitability because neither is as suitable as they seem…
AMAZON LINK
Author bio -
Karen is a multi-genre author who writes novels within many different genres; Historical Romance, Historical Crime, and modern Chick-Lit.
She can usually be found sat at the computer either writing a novel, writing down new ideas or on social media chatting!
Her love of reading, writing short stories, and her childhood imaginary world led quite naturally to writing novels. Encouraged to read by her bookworm father and grandmother and by winning a writing competition in just her first year of secondary school, she was spurred on, and she has been writing stories ever since. Her love of mystery and plot twists that she put into that first story continues today.
She has travelled to and lived in many countries, not just in her imagination, and has gained an insight into people’s characters that shines through in her work. Today, with her feet firmly back in the United Kingdom, she travels the world, the universe and in time through her imagination and her novels.
She is now the author of eight novels;
Charlotte – Pride & Prejudice Continues,
Rosings – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 2,
Relative Deceit – Death in the Family,
The Uncanny Life of Polly,
It’s a Man’s World – Lettie Jenkins Investigates,
Wickham – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 3,
The Spice Bride – The Emberton Brothers Series book 1.
The Suitable Bride – The Emberton Brothers Series book 2.
In 2012 she received a B.R.A.G Medallion ™ for her debut novel Charlotte – Pride & Prejudice Continues.
In 2013 she was once again honoured with a B.R.A.G Medallion ™ for Rosings – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 2.
In 2016 she received another prized B.R.A.G Medallion™ for Wickham -Pride & Prejudice Continues book 3.
For more information and to download a free book visit www.karenaminadra.com
Today I am celebrating the launch of my eighth novel! Yes, eighth!
I cannot even believe I am here already! It has been such an exciting journey and wonderful four years since I published my first novel.
The Suitable Bride is book 2 in The Emberton Brothers series and is a clean Regency romance novel.
In the first novel, we followed the story of Richard, the eldest of the three brothers. In this book, we follow Edward the middle one.
Edward is the driven one out of the three. He has spent years working hard at achieving his dream. He’s a politician and dreams of being Prime Minister of Britain one day. He knows the advantages there are to be had in marrying and is eager to find a bride from amongst the set who will help advance his career.
Frances Davenport is the daughter of a lord. She is privileged and has led a life that has had its ups and downs…literally speaking ;-) She’s a little naughty. She doesn’t believe there is one single man out there who can please her as a husband and is resigned to that fact. Until she meets Edward, that is…
To celebrate the release of The Suitable Bride I am having a bumper giveaway with a big list of goodies! Please visit my BLOG to enter! And good luck!
BLURB
Edward Emberton wants to be Prime Minister. He has a passionate vision for the future of England, which includes the abolition of slavery. As the son of a tradesman, his journey to Parliament has been a difficult one, but there is only one thing left to cement this foothold on the steps to Parliament – a suitable bride. She must be of noble birth, reasonable intelligence, mild temperament, and extraordinary beauty.
Frances Davenport is most of those things. And a suitable marriage to Edward isn’t only the answer to her prayers; it’s a way to keep her secrets. Edward is handsome, driven, and better still, enchanted by her beauty. It’s more than a suitable match; it couldn’t be more perfect.
But appearances are often deceiving, and Frances’ beguiling beauty comes with its own set of problems. Edward and Frances are about to discover that there’s more to marriage than suitability because neither is as suitable as they seem…
AMAZON LINK
Author bio -
Karen is a multi-genre author who writes novels within many different genres; Historical Romance, Historical Crime, and modern Chick-Lit.
She can usually be found sat at the computer either writing a novel, writing down new ideas or on social media chatting!
Her love of reading, writing short stories, and her childhood imaginary world led quite naturally to writing novels. Encouraged to read by her bookworm father and grandmother and by winning a writing competition in just her first year of secondary school, she was spurred on, and she has been writing stories ever since. Her love of mystery and plot twists that she put into that first story continues today.
She has travelled to and lived in many countries, not just in her imagination, and has gained an insight into people’s characters that shines through in her work. Today, with her feet firmly back in the United Kingdom, she travels the world, the universe and in time through her imagination and her novels.
She is now the author of eight novels;
Charlotte – Pride & Prejudice Continues,
Rosings – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 2,
Relative Deceit – Death in the Family,
The Uncanny Life of Polly,
It’s a Man’s World – Lettie Jenkins Investigates,
Wickham – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 3,
The Spice Bride – The Emberton Brothers Series book 1.
The Suitable Bride – The Emberton Brothers Series book 2.
In 2012 she received a B.R.A.G Medallion ™ for her debut novel Charlotte – Pride & Prejudice Continues.
In 2013 she was once again honoured with a B.R.A.G Medallion ™ for Rosings – Pride & Prejudice Continues book 2.
In 2016 she received another prized B.R.A.G Medallion™ for Wickham -Pride & Prejudice Continues book 3.
For more information and to download a free book visit www.karenaminadra.com
May 31, 2016
PAULA READS: THE REAPER'S BREATH BY ROBERT SOUTHWORTH
Please note that the author is offering a signed copy! Please leave a comment below if you would like to win. To be drawn on Wednesday 8th June
Mary Kelly lies dead upon her bed... Her sorrowful eyes still hold captive, the agony of her fate. Anger, and fear walk side by side as the populace of London demand justice for the slain. Is it a single mad man or is there a bloody political game being played out in the grime filled streets of the old City? The authorities are powerless to stop the bloodletting and call for a new kind of law. William Harkness, former officer of the 66th Regiment of Foot will join the hunt. His task is not to bring an insane killer to court, his hands are not tied by the laws of the day. William Harkness is the killer of killers, the assassin of evil...
I have long held a fascination for the Jack the Ripper tale; gruesome as it is, its the mystery that surrounds the deaths of at least five women, that grip me, and the fact that the identity of the killer is still unknown. Its a tale that has spawned many a theory as to who the killer was and why these women were killed. Conspiracy theories abound, but the fact remains, no one has ever been able to prove beyond a doubt who and why these women were killed. The dark, dirty streets and alleys of Victorian East London, are conjured whenever anyone speaks Jack the Ripper's name, keeping the macabre interest in these murders alive, even more than a hundred years after they happened.
When I heard that Mr Southworth was writing a thriller, based on the Ripper, I was excited to download my copy, expecting dark alleys, foggy black nights, dirty streets filled with urchins, and carriages with mysterious gentlemen lurking inside, ready to lure a woman into its evil interior. And happily, I am pleased to report, that's pretty much what I got.
The author starts off by describing the depravity of London and the origins of the Robert Peel's Metropolitan Police, and then we view the first murder through the eyes of a little stray dog, who stumbles upon the murder taking place. The author cleverly shows the reader what the dog sees. He doesn't understand it, but through his senses, it smells blood - and danger - and flees, terrified, into the night.
The dog watched as the blade went to work. What was once an attractive woman was turned into mere lumps of flesh. Then at last the shadowy figure ceased its butchery and after carefully wrapping each bloodied remnants of its victim, walked towards the door. The dog shook violently and whimpered with fear. The figure stopped and looked at the wretched beast and then stretched out a hand. Two tender pats to the head were delivered.
"Good dog," whispered the figure, and then the shadow walked away.
Southworth's central character is a war hero, Captain Harkness, a young soldier who was injured in Afghanistan, saving the life of a young private. He returns to England to recoup and some years later, he is sought out by Inspector Abberline, mainly for his reputation, and Harkness is given full licence to seek out the Ripper and exterminate him. William Harkness, turns out to be a regular customer of poor Mary Kelly, whom we know received the most horrific treatment from the Ripper, in her own home. Shocked and horrified by Mary's horrendous death, Harkness agrees to Abberline's proposal. He wants to get the man who killed her, and was killing all the others.
Harkness is a brooding hero. He has seen and experienced terrible things as a soldier, which makes him a good candidate for the man to lead the task force against the Ripper, and if there are more in league with the Ripper, his gang. Southworth's hero is a deep character, with a dark side as most broody heroes have, and he soon forms his own force, with men from both the police force and his past as a soldier. We get to know the characters and we are interested in them. One gets the feeling that we will get to know more about them in the second and third books.
Mr Southworth is not afraid to write bloody scenes, however he cleverly crafts his words to create a picture of the event without using graphic images of gore and blood. He is able, with great subtlety, create the brutality of murder, with little words needed, but still managing to conjure an appropriate atmosphere, that clings to the pages like a dark mist. Less is more, in this case, and its perfect.
Also interwoven into the story of this hunt for the killer Ripper, is the story of Harkness' lost love, and the difficult relationship he has with his father. There was one particular scene where I was close to tears, urging William on in my head to do take the olive branch. The beauty of this book is that it is has a great plot, even if the author has taken liberties with the facts, its appropriate and fits in nicely with the events of the time. It also has a nice little subplot, with William's father and an old girlfriend of his, adding depth to William's persona. I also enjoy the other characters, especially Obadiah, who has known William, been in his father's service, for years.
Mr Southworth has done an excellent job crafting this book. It has an authentic feel and he uses the language of the time so that the dialogue feels authentic too. The book starts a little higgledy-piggledy with the time line, but once into the meat of the story, it develops fast, leaving this reader wanting more as I finally force myself to close my kindle for bedtime. The ending is a crescendo, with a plot twist that makes you bite your nails. Some people are not always who one might think they are and the ending finishes in such a way that paves the road for the next book, which i can't wait to read. This book compares favourable to that excellent Ripper Street series, and would also make a brilliant TV series too.
I would recommend this book to those who love late Victorian thrillers and crime stories and also to anyone who likes a great yarn. Its mighty good!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Southworth comes from a sleepy little town in the centre of England, called Nuneaton. I have spent most of his life there apart from a few years. Essentially a family man at heart, writing gives him the opportunity to spend quality time with his wife and children. Before he became an author he had tried his hands at many professions. For a brief time he was in the army, serving in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Then he tried his hand at engineering and finally retail management. Eventually, redundancy called and he decided to devote his time to writing, which was soon to become his new occupation, thanks to his wife who encouraged him to take up the mantle of an author. Currently he has five novels completed, the last of which is 'The Reaper's Breath', which is the first novel in a series of three. The series is set in Victorian London, and centres on the infamous Jack the Ripper.
To read more about Robert and his projects, go to his Website ,follow him on Twitter and join him on Facebook
May 3, 2016
PAULA READS: THE DEAD GODS: FLINT AND STEEL, FIRE AND SHADOW #2
War clouds are gathering. After the last year’s defeat of the invasion of their Northern Holdings, the Taleeli Empire now has the justification to once again carry the flame of war south to their shadowed rival, the realm of Acaross. To her subject peoples, who endured both the invasion and the treacherous misrule of the ousted Dominar Sligo, the strength of Taleel no longer looks as sure as once it was. Questions regarding the fate of Commander Kaziviere and the nature of the dark god of Acaross remain. Seeking answers the Sun Shard wielder Tuan Blackstone, his comrade Bronic, the Flinter Klesh and Kaziviere’s lover Tamzine, journey eastward to find the missing Taleeli commander Kaziviere, who, after encountering the dark god of Acaross, finds himself transported into the heart of that shadowy realm.
As war between Acaross and Taleel draws ever nearer Kaziviere discovers the horrific nature of the Messiah of Shadows and his monstrous children, The Dead Gods. Meanwhile, northward across the Hailthorn Mountains, with the knowledge of black powder alchemy now at their disposal, do the Flint Folk seek to end their exile and take back the lands that once were theirs?
***** Please note the author is kindly giving away a signed copy *****To enter leave a comment belowwinner to be drawn 11th May
Commander KaziviereWell, as you can see by the above, this book has many threads woven into its pages. The Dead Gods is book 2 in the Flint and Steel, Fire and Shadow series, and follows on from the first book, The Sun Shard, and starting where it left off. This book is based on the cyberpunk subgenre, clockpunk, which portrays a sort of renaissance era technology, which we see throughout the novel. However there are other elements in there, such as the Anglo-Saxon-style society which is ruled by a Khan, and holds sway in the Cheama lands and refers to ‘thegns’ and 'huscarles'. So we have a mixture of muskets, spears and axes and also the stoneage Neanderthal flint folk, wary of the ‘flat-faces’, and the guardians of the sun shards. All these different cultures are thrown into what is this huge melting pot, and each have their own roles to play in the war that threatens to destroy them all.
What I loved most about this series is the way the characters are developing and the world Bayliss is building. There are many characters who play in the story of The Dead Gods, and the reader gets to know each of them. their strengths, weaknesses, their foibles and their desires. Bayliss' talent for showing depth to his characters by transporting their thoughts, albeit in the third person, to the reader, helps this process and by the end of the second book, I felt that I had more of a handle on them than the first. The world in which they inhabit is as rich in its diversity, as it is in its terrain, and physical characteristics, with vivid descriptions of the lands in the narrative.
The narrative is cleverly written and although the author sometimes swings from one point of view to another, his technique in using thought in the third person, written in Italics, makes those switches readable, though there is one particular chapter where the head-hopping is really jarring; but, because Bayliss is capable of writing such wonderful prose, so poetic and lyrical in its form, and he creates such vivid scenes, I can forgive him anything.
The Tower had looked impressive from a distance, but it had merged with the rock of surrounding cliffs, but now its scale was apparent to the travelling companions. Its dizzying heights caused their heads to swim as they looked up, its uppermost reaches lost in the realm of birds and clouds.
When I read, I like to feel that I can get into the mind of the characters. The main protagonist is Kaziviere, and in the first book, The Sun Shard, he is a hard-hearted, racist commander; devoid of compassion for the Turanesci warriors, who are forced, as second class citizens, to fight under his command, for an evil Dominar. He even cuts out the tongue of one of them, so cruel is his nature. By the end of the book, he has been affected by his experiences, and the humanity that has been obviously lurking beneath his harsh exterior, is brought to the surface, helped in this metamorphosis by his love for the 'Razoress', Turanesci tribeswoman, Tamzine. He is a much changed man, and i have gone from disliking this cruel man, to rooting for him. In The Dead Gods, he has no time to enjoy his new found tender nature with his lover, Tamzine, for he has been thrust into another world, by the Dark Magic of the Accarossian God and has to find a way to escape his fate, to forever be told that he is no longer who he was, but the gladiator, Gutspiller, forced to fight disgusting monsters in a blood soaked arena.
As I've mentioned, there are many characters to enjoy in this book and another favourite is Tamzine. . She’s feisty, and she fights with two scimitars. I can hear them whizz, every time she uses them. And, she isn’t afraid to stand her ground and takes no BS from anyone – man or beast.
“My company is with whom I choose it to be, Taleeli. Sit back down now. I would not wish to bloody my sword so soon after cleaning it, or abuse your captain’s hospitality with your life, “ Tamzine replied, still whetting her sword and keeping her back to the man.She is known as the 'Razoress'. If I had to be anyone in this book, I would want to be her.
I have followed Mr Bayliss' career over the last few years, apart from his fantasy novels, he has written a book of short stories and has had his work published in a book called Felinity and also a book of poems. Over these years, I've watched his talent grow and some of his shining moments have been his work on his blog, Rob's Ramblings, utter, utter brilliance. In The Dead Gods, Mr Bayliss has come into his own. His words leap off the page in a fanfare of description, so that a picture is spread before you as his prose plucks at your imagination like a virtuoso.
The Grand Mage stepped forward to join the inquisitor, speaking in a commanding voice, “Neshaduk Grematadi! Silence!” The torches blazed back to life, driving back the shadows that had crept across the walls of the chamber, like the tentacles of some foul beast of the deepest abyss. The screaming ceased but the head, now dry as a mummified relic, still showed jet black eyes. Its mouth opened and closed, cracking at the corners, the blackening tongue lolling.“Enough! Fire consume you!” the Grand Mage exclaimed. The head flared into flames behind the glass. The fire quickly consumed what was once flesh and bone. It disintegrated like paper, falling in on itself.
If you like fantasy with historical elements, in this book, Bayliss has created an amazing world, with monsters, ghoulies, giant spiders and magician - not to mention the dark world of the Dead Gods; a plague that swallows anything in its path and warriors who fight to restore sanity to a world seeped in chaos and malevolence. I wholly recommend this book, for those who simply love reading and like their prose to blow you away in a poetic, lyrical musical stylee, this is definitely for you.
About the Author
Rob Bayliss has always read and enjoyed an eclectic mix of fantasy, historical fiction and sci-fi. Growing up in the West Country countryside the worlds of Tolkien and others came alive during long walks in the woods; a hobby which he still enjoys! After having a vivid dream, and eager to know what happened next, he felt the need to write it down. The world of Flint & Steel, Fire & Shadow was born. As well as writing Rob is also a reviewer, contributor and admin of The Review.
You can purchase Rob's book, The Dead Gods here myBook.to/RobBayliss
and you can learn more about his ramblings on his blog Rob's Ramblings.
March 22, 2016
Exciting new venture and a re-launch of Sons of the Wolf
Recently, two exciting things have happened! I have just republished a new edition of Sons of the Wolf and I have embarked on a new venture. Since taking a less active role as blog coordinator for The Review, I have joined forces with some like-minded people to create a supportive virtual environment called Longship Publishing. We are a small group of 5 authors and an editor learning her craft, who have come together to support one another in the creations and marketing of their books. So far, we have not moved the earth, but we hope one day that our little company of friends will be doing some great things.
How did this all start?
I have always wanted to write for a living, although that ambition was always like a pie in the sky for me. I had trouble with my self-confidence and before the new millennium,I would never have learned to sit a type writer. Typewriters baffled me, and I had this fixed belief that no one would accept a handwritten copy. I think that's not necessarily true now, but at the time I thought it was. Anyway, I also developed some mental health issues which also prevented me from realising my dream, along with bringing up my gorgeous family and then when my life reached a turning point, I chose to sort myself out once and for all, and embarked on a journey that saw me at college and then at university where I trained to be a nurse. During that time, I rediscovered my love of reading and wondered if I could write a book - the thing that I had always wanted to do and had been pushed to memory. With me learning to use a computer, I suddenly realised, I can do this! And so it all began.
I had to, of course, find the right subject, and there was never any question that it would be anything other than historical. So I read various books for inspiration and stumbled across Helen Hollick's superb book, Harold the King, a re-enactment at Battle abbey.. I had been interested in the dark age period before, when I was much younger, and had read about the tragedy of Harold and the events of 1066 with great enthusiasm. As time went by, I became immersed in the later medieval period and had almost forgotten about this lesser known, but extremely passionate, period in our history. Helen's book relit the the '1066' candle inside my brain and I found another book, David Howarth's wonderful, easy to read, book 1066: The Year of the Conquest. His book was my biggest inspiration. Hollick's book had ignited the spark, but Howarth's fanned the flame into a hot burning fire! For it was in this book by Howarth, that I discovered my two protagonists, Wulfhere and Helghi. Men of 1066, whose lives could only have been imagined that year, for their only legacy to history was what they owned and where they lived s according to the Domesday Book.
And so my first novel was born, Sons of the Wolf, it has become the first in a series of novels about the events before and after the Battle of Hastings. I had first published with SilverWood books in 2012, an assisted publishing company, and it was a very costly experience. As time went by, I became increasingly unhappy with the edit and the cover, and the return I was getting on each book. There were other things that I was dissatisfied with being an author of an assisted publishers, and so, I decided I would remove my book from their list and decided to go it alone. I had been working on the sequel since before Sons was published, as it had been one long book. I'd had to cut it in half because 250,000 words was considered a tad long for a first book and would have been very expensive. Well I had been very naive back then and should have looked into the various ways of producing a book and shopped around. I am ashamed to say now, that I had been quite snooty about selfpublshed books and had wanted to produce a book that looked like it belonged to mainstream, and my book certainly had that appeal, thanks to SilverWood. But it cost a fortune, and in my naivety, I thought I could get my money back to fund The Wolf Banner with them. As I said, I was very naive, and thought I could make it. But I didn't. I soon realised that in order to make my money back to fund Wolf Banner, I was going to have to sell thousands just to make a few hundred quid, and for someone who did not have a fan base,and was largely unknown, it wasn't possible. I had a full-time job, I couldn't find the time to work on The Wolf Banner and market. So Sons of the Wolf and The Wolf Banner had to be published by myself, with me only out-laying the edits and the cover designs.
Where I'm at now
So, Sons of the Wolf is republished now and The Wolf Banner is in the final editing stage. At last I have a book out to be proud of , with a better edit and a new design. The sequel The Wolf Banner is due out for May. I'm still active in our Facebook group The Review and still a reviewer for it. It's been a great project to be part of and always will be my baby, after all, I created it :), but the real thing in my life is writing. I want to write and have the time to write, and although I love my job as a nurse, I would dearly love my full-time occupation to have something to do with books and hopefully with Longship, there will be many seas sailed!
SONS OF THE WOLF IS AN indieBRAG WINNER FOR 2012
Sons of the Wolf can be purchased here
How did this all start?
I have always wanted to write for a living, although that ambition was always like a pie in the sky for me. I had trouble with my self-confidence and before the new millennium,I would never have learned to sit a type writer. Typewriters baffled me, and I had this fixed belief that no one would accept a handwritten copy. I think that's not necessarily true now, but at the time I thought it was. Anyway, I also developed some mental health issues which also prevented me from realising my dream, along with bringing up my gorgeous family and then when my life reached a turning point, I chose to sort myself out once and for all, and embarked on a journey that saw me at college and then at university where I trained to be a nurse. During that time, I rediscovered my love of reading and wondered if I could write a book - the thing that I had always wanted to do and had been pushed to memory. With me learning to use a computer, I suddenly realised, I can do this! And so it all began.
I had to, of course, find the right subject, and there was never any question that it would be anything other than historical. So I read various books for inspiration and stumbled across Helen Hollick's superb book, Harold the King, a re-enactment at Battle abbey.. I had been interested in the dark age period before, when I was much younger, and had read about the tragedy of Harold and the events of 1066 with great enthusiasm. As time went by, I became immersed in the later medieval period and had almost forgotten about this lesser known, but extremely passionate, period in our history. Helen's book relit the the '1066' candle inside my brain and I found another book, David Howarth's wonderful, easy to read, book 1066: The Year of the Conquest. His book was my biggest inspiration. Hollick's book had ignited the spark, but Howarth's fanned the flame into a hot burning fire! For it was in this book by Howarth, that I discovered my two protagonists, Wulfhere and Helghi. Men of 1066, whose lives could only have been imagined that year, for their only legacy to history was what they owned and where they lived s according to the Domesday Book.
And so my first novel was born, Sons of the Wolf, it has become the first in a series of novels about the events before and after the Battle of Hastings. I had first published with SilverWood books in 2012, an assisted publishing company, and it was a very costly experience. As time went by, I became increasingly unhappy with the edit and the cover, and the return I was getting on each book. There were other things that I was dissatisfied with being an author of an assisted publishers, and so, I decided I would remove my book from their list and decided to go it alone. I had been working on the sequel since before Sons was published, as it had been one long book. I'd had to cut it in half because 250,000 words was considered a tad long for a first book and would have been very expensive. Well I had been very naive back then and should have looked into the various ways of producing a book and shopped around. I am ashamed to say now, that I had been quite snooty about selfpublshed books and had wanted to produce a book that looked like it belonged to mainstream, and my book certainly had that appeal, thanks to SilverWood. But it cost a fortune, and in my naivety, I thought I could get my money back to fund The Wolf Banner with them. As I said, I was very naive, and thought I could make it. But I didn't. I soon realised that in order to make my money back to fund Wolf Banner, I was going to have to sell thousands just to make a few hundred quid, and for someone who did not have a fan base,and was largely unknown, it wasn't possible. I had a full-time job, I couldn't find the time to work on The Wolf Banner and market. So Sons of the Wolf and The Wolf Banner had to be published by myself, with me only out-laying the edits and the cover designs.
Where I'm at now
So, Sons of the Wolf is republished now and The Wolf Banner is in the final editing stage. At last I have a book out to be proud of , with a better edit and a new design. The sequel The Wolf Banner is due out for May. I'm still active in our Facebook group The Review and still a reviewer for it. It's been a great project to be part of and always will be my baby, after all, I created it :), but the real thing in my life is writing. I want to write and have the time to write, and although I love my job as a nurse, I would dearly love my full-time occupation to have something to do with books and hopefully with Longship, there will be many seas sailed!
SONS OF THE WOLF IS AN indieBRAG WINNER FOR 2012
Sons of the Wolf can be purchased here
March 14, 2016
Sons of the Wolf is back!!!
Sons of the Wolf:
So, Sons of the Wolf is back on kindle, with a new look cover and a new edit. It's totally awesome! And I'm so very proud!
Not that the original was not great, as you can see from my reviews, but its now more polished and I just love the new cover from Dave Slaney and thank you to Charlie Kirkpatrick who drew the horseman for me.
The authenticity of the Horseman was very important to me, and Mr Kirkpatrick has drawn Wulfhere perfectly.
For those of you who don't know what the book is about, it is the first in a series of books that are set in the 11thc in the years leading up to the Norman Conquest. It follows the fortune of Wulfhere of Horstede, an 11thc Sussex thegn, and the trials and tribulations of his family as they struggle to cope with the bloodfeud between their father and his neighbour, Helghi of Gorde.
Their lives are entwined with the politics and events of the times and along the way we meet characters such as Harold Godwinson and his bickering brothers, his Lady Edith Swanneck and the ineffectual king, Edward, who would rather go hunting than sit in council with his nobles.
Intrigue is abound at the court of the Confessor and when the recalcitrant Earl Alfgar insults the king, he is exiled which will inevitably drag Wulfhere into a terrible battle with the Welsh their Irish-Norse allies.
But although Wulfhere fights for his life on the battlefield, he soon comes to realise that the enemy is closer to home, sinister and shadowy, and far more dangerous than any war.
I hope that those of you who have marked Sons of the Wolf to read will check out this new version that will be available to download from tomorrow and now if you want to preorder it. myBook.to/SoWpre
So, Sons of the Wolf is back on kindle, with a new look cover and a new edit. It's totally awesome! And I'm so very proud!
Not that the original was not great, as you can see from my reviews, but its now more polished and I just love the new cover from Dave Slaney and thank you to Charlie Kirkpatrick who drew the horseman for me.
The authenticity of the Horseman was very important to me, and Mr Kirkpatrick has drawn Wulfhere perfectly.
For those of you who don't know what the book is about, it is the first in a series of books that are set in the 11thc in the years leading up to the Norman Conquest. It follows the fortune of Wulfhere of Horstede, an 11thc Sussex thegn, and the trials and tribulations of his family as they struggle to cope with the bloodfeud between their father and his neighbour, Helghi of Gorde.
Their lives are entwined with the politics and events of the times and along the way we meet characters such as Harold Godwinson and his bickering brothers, his Lady Edith Swanneck and the ineffectual king, Edward, who would rather go hunting than sit in council with his nobles.
Intrigue is abound at the court of the Confessor and when the recalcitrant Earl Alfgar insults the king, he is exiled which will inevitably drag Wulfhere into a terrible battle with the Welsh their Irish-Norse allies.
But although Wulfhere fights for his life on the battlefield, he soon comes to realise that the enemy is closer to home, sinister and shadowy, and far more dangerous than any war.
I hope that those of you who have marked Sons of the Wolf to read will check out this new version that will be available to download from tomorrow and now if you want to preorder it. myBook.to/SoWpre
June 3, 2015
October 31, 2014
Halloween Post: Welcome Home
I lay awake feeling the cold air swirl around my bed and the sweat, though my skin was ice cold, prickled my entire body. Something or someone was calling me; a soft, gentle child-like voice full of pleading and wretchedness. I sat up and looked around me. There was no one there. I could see my room by the illumination of the moon that cast its light in through the large balcony windows. My room was just as it always was as my eyes swept cautiously around the walls. The wall paper still held the same complicated patterns of flowers swirling around the walls and the dark mahogany furniture stood still, like sentinels in the dark. The heavy velvet curtains blew gently with the wind that forced its way into through the cracks in the worn window frames. Nothing had changed, and yet – there was this ice coldness that filled my room and an intense feeling of fear.
“Clara,” whispered the sweet gentle voice again and I groaned. “Clara, come, come to me.”
I put my head in my hands and groaned. No, this cannot be, I thought, my mind was racing and I felt myself shudder. The voice, it was familiar.
“Clara...”
“Who is it?” I cried out. “Where are you? Are you hiding in the wardrobe?”
With a sudden feeling of panic, I remembered how she used to hide in there sometimes. She would be there when I came to my bed at night, wait until I was asleep and would frighten me half to death by calling my name out in the night, making me think there was something ghostly in my room.
“Claraaaah,” the voice called again.
“Stop it! Stop it!” I cried and jumped out of my bed, ready to run if I had to. “You’re dead! You’re dead!”
Sarah, my older sister had been dead for months now, and I had been so traumatised by her death that I had had to be sent away to recover. They had found me by her body at the bottom of the long staircase, so I was told; the one that wound its way down from the first floor landing to the great reception hall at the bottom of the stairs. Her neck had been broken and her face was contorted as if she had seen something that had frightened her half to death. I don’t remember any of it, just that I woke up one morning to be told that she was dead and I had been lying there in my bed, mutely, for days. Then I screamed and I couldn’t stop; no one knew why I was screaming, least of all me. And so it was that I was sent away to stay with my Aunt Florence in Hanley. Now I was back, my first day home since that terrible tragedy had happened in Fallowthrop Hall; I was home amongst the servants who treated me with kindness, my father whom I adored and my step mother who I tolerated for my father’s sake and all the things that made life bearable, such as my books, my paints and easel and my inkpens and writing paper. Or so I had thought.
Sarah was gone, the sister that had made my life a misery. The days of torment were dead, just as she was. Life would be peaceful now, wouldn’t it? They said she had tripped on an old wooden toy that had been left at the top of the stairs. It had been mine and I was told not to blame myself. Apparently I must have left it there accidentally. I wanted to hug that old wooden horse that I had left there on the stairs. I wouldn’t blame myself
It was an accident. But oh, how joyful I was that such an accident should have happened. Well you would understand if you had known what Sarah had done to me most of my life. Sarah had been the beloved one in the family. She was the daughter who was beautiful, kind and endearing; the daughter who made everyone feel alive. I was the plain one whom everyone overlooked for Sarah. I hated her for the things she did to me, but I loved her too. Yet, she was not gone, was she? I could hear her, smell her and feel her presence. No, she was not gone.
As I breathed deeply, I took a step toward the wardrobe. I had to see if she was still there, tormenting me like she used to. They had said that I would probably never remember what had happened that day and although I tried hard to remember, none of it would come back to me. I just couldn’t recall any of it.
My hand reached for the wardrobe handle. I could hear her laughing – that sweet feminine way that she giggled that had touched everyone’s hearts. I could feel her vibrancy; even in death it haunted me. I should never have come back here, I thought. Because she would never let me live here in the peace that I had so longed for. Why Sarah, why could you have not just let me be?”
My hand was shaking as I opened the door of the wardrobe. I looked into the darkness and walked in. I couldn’t see; it was very dark. Suddenly the door closed behind me and I heard her giggling. I struggled to open the door and when I couldn’t open it I cried out to her, begging her to stop tormenting me.
Eventually the door opened and I almost fell right back into the wardrobe with the impact of it. Relieved I stepped out of it and there before me she stood, pale and wraithlike, with her neck twisted to one side and a look of malevolence.
“Welcome home Clara,” she said.
October 26, 2014
The Battle of Stamford Bridge Part two
This post has been written in relation to the research I have done for my Sons of the Wolf series and has been taken from my Sons of the Wolf blog
http://paulalofting-sonsofthewolf.blo...
Part Two: The 3 Main Protagonists
In the first part of this series, we talked about the background to this famous 1066 battle. In this episode, King Harold has recieved word of Hardrada's landing in Yorkshire in mid September, King Harold assembles his men and begins the march northwards. We see the events leading up to the battle through the eyes of each main player.
How the King manages to gather a large enough force in such a short time has been speculated by many historians, but it seems that he most likely starts out with the core of his army, his body guard and perhaps his brother Gyrth and his huscarles, sending messengers to call out the southern fyrds to meet him along the road. As they travel, riding on horseback along the old Roman road, Ermine Street, they raise the fyrd of each shire they travel through, picking them up at arranged meeting points. These are the men of Herts, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire It's hard to say how many of them would have been mounted but in looking at the heriot of a thegn, it involved between 2-4 horses depending on their status. Thegns may have brought a servant or two with them and that is why perhaps they had to provide 3 or 4 horses.
At some point along the way, Harold learns of the Gate Fulford disaster by an exhausted messenger who has ridden without stopping to meet the King on his journey north so he might urge him to march more earnestly. Harold wonders momentarily why the young brothers, Earls Edwin and Morcar have not waited for him to arrive, but he probably didn't ponder for long, for he has a job to do and he knows the Earls had their reasons, good or bad. So he ploughs on with his men, determined to reach Yorkshire in time to surprise Hardrada and his own brother Tostig, so he can deal with them before they can strengthen their hold in Yorkshire. He marshals his forces at Tadcaster, we are told, also being joined there by some of the survivors of Fulford who would have informed him of the whereabouts of the Norsemen. At dawn, on Monday 25th September, Harold and his army cross the River Wharfe and reach York via the Ebor Way within a few hours. York welcomes him, perhaps surprised that he had come so quickly. He stops for a short while to refresh his army and hears about the deals that have been done with the Norse. He sympathises with the people of York and their young leaders Morcar and Edwin, who are most likely still teenagers at this stage. They had to come to terms with the Norse or their city would have been over run, knowing that if they can convince Hardrada of complete compliance, they would withdraw from the city and hopefully this would stall them long enough for Harold to get there with his army. Of course they might have been hedging their bets but Harold most likely doesn't want to get into that right now. The young Earls are his new brother-in-laws and he likes to think they are loyal.
Harold studies at a map of the area, the lie of the land and its geographical significance and plans his next move with his generals, Gyrth and Marleswein the Shire-reeve. They set out again on the last leg of their journey. Stamford Bridge. As the men march toward their next destination, none of them, least of all Harold would have known that they were about to participate in one of the most pivotal battles of the era. The Viking Age was about to go down very decisively.
Harald Hardrada is a man with, as his name suggests, a tough reputation. He is a man whose whole attitude to life seems to be little about planning and thought, and more about getting whatever he wants at any cost. He learned as a much younger man than he was in 1066, that to get what he desires, he needs to have power and to have power, he needs gold. And to get gold he needs followers to help him get it. And to get followers, he needs to have the gift of the gab and a whole lot of personal strength. Eventually, he manages to acquire all those things, mostly because he had the last two qualities in the first place.
Born in Ringerike in the Upplands of Norway, he was the son of a petty chieftain, Sigurd. He became King of Norway from 1046 until his death in 1066 and after unsuccessfully claiming Denmark, he turns his attentions to England after a proposition from the exiled Tostig Godwinson. Harald's birth year is probably somewhere between 1014-16 so he is aged around 50 at this time. Harald's claim is pretty weak, but he doesn't really care. Always on the lookout for more power, he doesn't need an excuse to claim anything for himself. He is used to violence and has led a colourful and brutal life. He spent some of his youth in the Varangian Guard. His reputation goes before him and he relies on it to intimidate his opponents. He certainly isn't coming to England on a jolly day trip. After his glorious victory over Edwin and Morcar's forces at Fulford, he and his comrade in arms, Tostig Godwinson, withdraw to the assigned meeting place by the Bridge at Stamford, where they are due to collect the hostages promised them in the treaty.
Tostig Godwinson had been Earl of Northumbria for around 10 years. It is quite surprising that he lasted that long, for he had been hated throughout. He is the third born son of Godwin and his Danish wife Gytha. Interestingly he is related to William of Normandy through marriage. His wife Judith is half sister to the Duke's wife, Matilda's father. Tostig had ruled Northumbria with a heavy hand and this, coupled by the fact that he is a southerner and a Godwin, maked him very unpopular with the Northumbrian ruling families. The Godwins have always been seen as a threat to the balance of power in 11th century England, as there are so many of them. When Alfgar of Mercia is sidelined to give Northumbria to Tostig, the rest of the noblemen see a takeover happening, with two more brothers waiting for offices.
Finally things come to a head after some internal political disasters, the Northerners want him out and so they rebel, killing a large number of his officials. Then they marched down south to protest their case with King Edward. Harold had to persuade a reluctant king, who was totally against Tostig's dethronement, to exile him, to avoid a civil war. With a heavy heart, the king was forced to give into the North's demands to have Morcar, brother of Edwin of Mercia as their Earl.
Betrayed by his own brother, Tostig flees abroad. He finally winds up with Hardrada on this date, 25th September 1066, on a warm sunny midday, basking in a field of sunshine with the Norwegian forces, minus their armour and lightly armed. Relaxing and recuperating after their hard won victory, dining on the provisions given to them by the people of York and probably getting drunk on the finest supplies of mead, they were waiting for the hostages to arrive. The Norwegians are camped on both east and west sides of the river and their laughter and merry making could be heard in the little settlement of Stamford as they enjoy their day of leisure. Suddenly a scout rides into camp and tells Hardrada that he has seen a cloud of dust coming southwards along the road from York. They believe it must be the hostages and their escort coming as promised.
As they wait, the cloud gets closer and they begin to glimpse the 'glittering of weapons that sparkle like a field of broken ice'. At first Harald suspects that some of the northern fyrd have come to join them but when they see the Golden man standard flowing in the breeze whipped up by the storm of marching feet, they know what it is that is upon them. Tostig cannot believe his brother has got here so quick. He groans in dismay. Hardrada throws him an accusing look that says you told me it would take him weeks to get here not days! but he brushes him aside for there is no time to argue with the English idiot. He has only some of his force here the rest are back with the fleet at Riccall...along with their mail. He needs to get his men that are camped on the other side of the river back across to the safer eastern side before the English army get there. He calls for his strongest riders to hasten back to Riccall to get his for boatmen to come to reinforce their numbers.
So here he is, the famous Hardrada, wearing only a blue tunic, a helmet and with his spear to protect him. Without mail, the men would be vulnerable. But he was Hardrada and his strength and luck would not let him down. "I am Hardrada the Invincible and victory will be mine!"
Next see what happens in the battle of Stamford Bridge.
References
Walker I.W. (2004) The Last Anglo-Saxon King (Pb ed) Sutton Publishing Ltd, Great Britain.
Swanton M (200) The Anglo-Saxon Chronichles (rev. ed) Phoenix Press, London. Marren P (2004)
Marren P (2004) 1066 The Battles of York, Stamford Bridge & Hastings Pen and Sword books Ltd, Yorkshire.
http://paulalofting-sonsofthewolf.blo...
Part Two: The 3 Main Protagonists
In the first part of this series, we talked about the background to this famous 1066 battle. In this episode, King Harold has recieved word of Hardrada's landing in Yorkshire in mid September, King Harold assembles his men and begins the march northwards. We see the events leading up to the battle through the eyes of each main player.
How the King manages to gather a large enough force in such a short time has been speculated by many historians, but it seems that he most likely starts out with the core of his army, his body guard and perhaps his brother Gyrth and his huscarles, sending messengers to call out the southern fyrds to meet him along the road. As they travel, riding on horseback along the old Roman road, Ermine Street, they raise the fyrd of each shire they travel through, picking them up at arranged meeting points. These are the men of Herts, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire It's hard to say how many of them would have been mounted but in looking at the heriot of a thegn, it involved between 2-4 horses depending on their status. Thegns may have brought a servant or two with them and that is why perhaps they had to provide 3 or 4 horses.
At some point along the way, Harold learns of the Gate Fulford disaster by an exhausted messenger who has ridden without stopping to meet the King on his journey north so he might urge him to march more earnestly. Harold wonders momentarily why the young brothers, Earls Edwin and Morcar have not waited for him to arrive, but he probably didn't ponder for long, for he has a job to do and he knows the Earls had their reasons, good or bad. So he ploughs on with his men, determined to reach Yorkshire in time to surprise Hardrada and his own brother Tostig, so he can deal with them before they can strengthen their hold in Yorkshire. He marshals his forces at Tadcaster, we are told, also being joined there by some of the survivors of Fulford who would have informed him of the whereabouts of the Norsemen. At dawn, on Monday 25th September, Harold and his army cross the River Wharfe and reach York via the Ebor Way within a few hours. York welcomes him, perhaps surprised that he had come so quickly. He stops for a short while to refresh his army and hears about the deals that have been done with the Norse. He sympathises with the people of York and their young leaders Morcar and Edwin, who are most likely still teenagers at this stage. They had to come to terms with the Norse or their city would have been over run, knowing that if they can convince Hardrada of complete compliance, they would withdraw from the city and hopefully this would stall them long enough for Harold to get there with his army. Of course they might have been hedging their bets but Harold most likely doesn't want to get into that right now. The young Earls are his new brother-in-laws and he likes to think they are loyal.
Harold studies at a map of the area, the lie of the land and its geographical significance and plans his next move with his generals, Gyrth and Marleswein the Shire-reeve. They set out again on the last leg of their journey. Stamford Bridge. As the men march toward their next destination, none of them, least of all Harold would have known that they were about to participate in one of the most pivotal battles of the era. The Viking Age was about to go down very decisively.
Harald Hardrada is a man with, as his name suggests, a tough reputation. He is a man whose whole attitude to life seems to be little about planning and thought, and more about getting whatever he wants at any cost. He learned as a much younger man than he was in 1066, that to get what he desires, he needs to have power and to have power, he needs gold. And to get gold he needs followers to help him get it. And to get followers, he needs to have the gift of the gab and a whole lot of personal strength. Eventually, he manages to acquire all those things, mostly because he had the last two qualities in the first place.
Born in Ringerike in the Upplands of Norway, he was the son of a petty chieftain, Sigurd. He became King of Norway from 1046 until his death in 1066 and after unsuccessfully claiming Denmark, he turns his attentions to England after a proposition from the exiled Tostig Godwinson. Harald's birth year is probably somewhere between 1014-16 so he is aged around 50 at this time. Harald's claim is pretty weak, but he doesn't really care. Always on the lookout for more power, he doesn't need an excuse to claim anything for himself. He is used to violence and has led a colourful and brutal life. He spent some of his youth in the Varangian Guard. His reputation goes before him and he relies on it to intimidate his opponents. He certainly isn't coming to England on a jolly day trip. After his glorious victory over Edwin and Morcar's forces at Fulford, he and his comrade in arms, Tostig Godwinson, withdraw to the assigned meeting place by the Bridge at Stamford, where they are due to collect the hostages promised them in the treaty.
Tostig Godwinson had been Earl of Northumbria for around 10 years. It is quite surprising that he lasted that long, for he had been hated throughout. He is the third born son of Godwin and his Danish wife Gytha. Interestingly he is related to William of Normandy through marriage. His wife Judith is half sister to the Duke's wife, Matilda's father. Tostig had ruled Northumbria with a heavy hand and this, coupled by the fact that he is a southerner and a Godwin, maked him very unpopular with the Northumbrian ruling families. The Godwins have always been seen as a threat to the balance of power in 11th century England, as there are so many of them. When Alfgar of Mercia is sidelined to give Northumbria to Tostig, the rest of the noblemen see a takeover happening, with two more brothers waiting for offices.
Finally things come to a head after some internal political disasters, the Northerners want him out and so they rebel, killing a large number of his officials. Then they marched down south to protest their case with King Edward. Harold had to persuade a reluctant king, who was totally against Tostig's dethronement, to exile him, to avoid a civil war. With a heavy heart, the king was forced to give into the North's demands to have Morcar, brother of Edwin of Mercia as their Earl.
Betrayed by his own brother, Tostig flees abroad. He finally winds up with Hardrada on this date, 25th September 1066, on a warm sunny midday, basking in a field of sunshine with the Norwegian forces, minus their armour and lightly armed. Relaxing and recuperating after their hard won victory, dining on the provisions given to them by the people of York and probably getting drunk on the finest supplies of mead, they were waiting for the hostages to arrive. The Norwegians are camped on both east and west sides of the river and their laughter and merry making could be heard in the little settlement of Stamford as they enjoy their day of leisure. Suddenly a scout rides into camp and tells Hardrada that he has seen a cloud of dust coming southwards along the road from York. They believe it must be the hostages and their escort coming as promised.
As they wait, the cloud gets closer and they begin to glimpse the 'glittering of weapons that sparkle like a field of broken ice'. At first Harald suspects that some of the northern fyrd have come to join them but when they see the Golden man standard flowing in the breeze whipped up by the storm of marching feet, they know what it is that is upon them. Tostig cannot believe his brother has got here so quick. He groans in dismay. Hardrada throws him an accusing look that says you told me it would take him weeks to get here not days! but he brushes him aside for there is no time to argue with the English idiot. He has only some of his force here the rest are back with the fleet at Riccall...along with their mail. He needs to get his men that are camped on the other side of the river back across to the safer eastern side before the English army get there. He calls for his strongest riders to hasten back to Riccall to get his for boatmen to come to reinforce their numbers.
So here he is, the famous Hardrada, wearing only a blue tunic, a helmet and with his spear to protect him. Without mail, the men would be vulnerable. But he was Hardrada and his strength and luck would not let him down. "I am Hardrada the Invincible and victory will be mine!"
Next see what happens in the battle of Stamford Bridge.
References
Walker I.W. (2004) The Last Anglo-Saxon King (Pb ed) Sutton Publishing Ltd, Great Britain.
Swanton M (200) The Anglo-Saxon Chronichles (rev. ed) Phoenix Press, London. Marren P (2004)
Marren P (2004) 1066 The Battles of York, Stamford Bridge & Hastings Pen and Sword books Ltd, Yorkshire.
September 30, 2014
The Battle of Stamford Bridge Part One
Following on from the Battle of Gate Fulford on the 20th September, Harald Hardrada's victory just outside of York saw him and 'as great a force as seemed necessary' (AS chronicle C) march into the city and the people surrendered to him, most likely to prevent a full scale sacking of the city. Whether or not the defeated brothers Edwin and Morcar were part of this process it is not known, but they had certainly survived the battle and may have holed themselves up inside the city, perhaps wounded; ready to negotiate peace with the Norwegian king. Harald Hardrada's saga believed that Morcar had been killed, but Morcar lived through the battle and may have been severely wounded and that was why they thought he had been killed in battle. It is quite possible that the brothers were injured, which may explain their abscence from the Battle of Hastings.
The exiled brother of King Harold Godwinson,Tostig, was also among the victors at Gate Fulford. He had arrived with Harald to fight for his old Earldom of Northumbria and would have known many of the men of Yorkshire personally. He would have been able to vouch that the hostages offered were sons of leading men. These hostages were to be handed over at Stamford Bridge, 8 miles or so north of York which was roughly halfway between York and where Hardrada had left his fleet at Riccall.According to the chronicler Florence, 150 hostages were given on both sides and part of the treaty with the men of York included the supply of provisions. Additionally, they were to march south with Hardrada and join his attempt to conquer of all England.
King Harold Godwinson heard the news of Harald Hardrada's landing probably after some days before before Hardrada and the northern Earls gave battle at Gate Fulford. Hardrada's manoevers around the coast probably gave Edwin and Morcar time to gather their armies and send messengers south to Harold. The young Earls, sons of the deceased Alfgar of Mercia, could have barricaded themselves in the city of York and waited for Harold to come with reinforcements, however for whatever reason, they decided they had sufficient men to meet them outside the the walls at Gate Fulford.The AS Chronicle C states that Gate Fulford battle happened on Wednesday the 20th of September. Harold had been in the south with his southern fyrd watching for William of Normandy to come and had disbanded his men on the 8th when there seemed no sign of the Duke appearing from Normandy at any time soon. As soon as he heard of the landing, he marched up north with his army and the local levies were called out as he passed through the shires on his way up the old Roman road, Watling Street. This was not the first time he had performed a lightning raid on an enemy. The first was in Wales sometime in December '62 or January '63 when he stormed into Wales with a mounted force and destroyed Rhuddlan, Gruffydd's fortress. Fortunately for Gruffydd the Welsh man was warned at the last minute with time to escape by sea,leaving the rest of his fleet to be burned by Harold's men. Harold was a man determined to deal with a problem once and for all. And that is exactly what he does
This was to be the battle that would see the end of any significant Scandinavian attempt at conquest. Read about the battle itself in the next Part of this post.
References
Walker I.W. (2004) The Last Anglo-Saxon King (Pb ed) Sutton Publishing Ltd, Great Britain.
Swanton M (200) The Anglo-Saxon Chronichles (rev. ed) Phoenix Press, London. Marren P (2004)
Marren P (2004) 1066 The Battles of York, Stamford Bridge & Hastings Pen and Sword books Ltd, Yorkshire.
To see the original post click here
http://paulalofting-sonsofthewolf.blo...
The exiled brother of King Harold Godwinson,Tostig, was also among the victors at Gate Fulford. He had arrived with Harald to fight for his old Earldom of Northumbria and would have known many of the men of Yorkshire personally. He would have been able to vouch that the hostages offered were sons of leading men. These hostages were to be handed over at Stamford Bridge, 8 miles or so north of York which was roughly halfway between York and where Hardrada had left his fleet at Riccall.According to the chronicler Florence, 150 hostages were given on both sides and part of the treaty with the men of York included the supply of provisions. Additionally, they were to march south with Hardrada and join his attempt to conquer of all England.
King Harold Godwinson heard the news of Harald Hardrada's landing probably after some days before before Hardrada and the northern Earls gave battle at Gate Fulford. Hardrada's manoevers around the coast probably gave Edwin and Morcar time to gather their armies and send messengers south to Harold. The young Earls, sons of the deceased Alfgar of Mercia, could have barricaded themselves in the city of York and waited for Harold to come with reinforcements, however for whatever reason, they decided they had sufficient men to meet them outside the the walls at Gate Fulford.The AS Chronicle C states that Gate Fulford battle happened on Wednesday the 20th of September. Harold had been in the south with his southern fyrd watching for William of Normandy to come and had disbanded his men on the 8th when there seemed no sign of the Duke appearing from Normandy at any time soon. As soon as he heard of the landing, he marched up north with his army and the local levies were called out as he passed through the shires on his way up the old Roman road, Watling Street. This was not the first time he had performed a lightning raid on an enemy. The first was in Wales sometime in December '62 or January '63 when he stormed into Wales with a mounted force and destroyed Rhuddlan, Gruffydd's fortress. Fortunately for Gruffydd the Welsh man was warned at the last minute with time to escape by sea,leaving the rest of his fleet to be burned by Harold's men. Harold was a man determined to deal with a problem once and for all. And that is exactly what he does
This was to be the battle that would see the end of any significant Scandinavian attempt at conquest. Read about the battle itself in the next Part of this post.
References
Walker I.W. (2004) The Last Anglo-Saxon King (Pb ed) Sutton Publishing Ltd, Great Britain.
Swanton M (200) The Anglo-Saxon Chronichles (rev. ed) Phoenix Press, London. Marren P (2004)
Marren P (2004) 1066 The Battles of York, Stamford Bridge & Hastings Pen and Sword books Ltd, Yorkshire.
To see the original post click here
http://paulalofting-sonsofthewolf.blo...
January 4, 2014
AN EXCITING NEW YEAR AHEAD
I trust that you all have had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and you have started on your new years resolutions! I have neglected this blog for some time, mainly due to some of life's difficulties, work and more excitingly my fantastic project The Review. So I thought I'd fill all of you in on what's been going on and what future lies ahead. I'll start from last year and explain that after forming an experimental Facebook group named The Review, with the purpose of sharing and promoting books through the medium of reviewing, I gathered a force of like-minded fellows and we created a BLOG spawned from the Facebook group with much bigger ideas. The Facebook group was mostly an interactive group where readers and authors could come together, share their favourite reviews on the group and promote themselves as a reviewer, reader or author. We encouraged people to share other peoples links and we tried to create a supportive milieu where everyone felt like they counted. We do our best to discourage those who selfishly promote themselves by dropping by every now and then to leave a link and then pop out again only to be seen once more when they wanted to sell their book again. This is not what we had in mind and buy links are only allowed as they long as they accompany a review of their book done by someone else of course.
When we were piecing together ideas about how we wanted the blog to look and what we wanted to feature in it, we realised that we didn't want just reviews or author interviews, we wanted to make this a unique magazine style blog, covering a range of genres, although currently, we seem to be getting more requests for historical fiction than anything else! But we as a group are doing our best to change that. We have been featuring both Indie and mainstream authors and some of our more well known authors have been Patricia Bracewell and Bernard Cornwell. One of our more popular features are reviews with giveaways. We almost always giveaway a book with a book reviewed.
This coming year on The Review, I am hoping to develop the project further. We have joined partnership with Independent Book Reviews and Gingernut Books and hope to be expanding what our site can offer readers, reviewers and authors in the coming year. We have some excellent ideas tossing around between us, so look out for The Review this year, it's going to be spectacular!
So that's one pie I have my finger in, the next project I want to talk about is my current WIP The Wolf Banner which is the follow up to Sons of the Wolf. The Wolf Banner is the sequel to Sons and it is 18 months in the waiting. Basically, I wanted a new editor for The Wolf Banner and so I was recommended D Michelle Gent Services by a friend and after chatting to Michelle and sampling her work, I knew my sequel was going to be in safe hands. you can find Michelle's Editing Services here. I am hoping that The Wolf Banner will be ready for publication in April this year.
And finally, I want to remind people about my Threads to the Past blog which I shall be revamping in the near future. I have spent a lot of time working on The Review that this and my Sons of the Wolf blog have been very neglected. I hope now to amalgamate the Sons of the Wolf blog
with Threads to the Past in one new look blog which will not only talk about the Tapestry itself but also other aspects of 11thc life. This will also link in with my research for the period in which the Sons of the Wolf series is set. So I am hoping that you will join me, coming down the passages of time as we untangle all the threads that keep the past alive.
When we were piecing together ideas about how we wanted the blog to look and what we wanted to feature in it, we realised that we didn't want just reviews or author interviews, we wanted to make this a unique magazine style blog, covering a range of genres, although currently, we seem to be getting more requests for historical fiction than anything else! But we as a group are doing our best to change that. We have been featuring both Indie and mainstream authors and some of our more well known authors have been Patricia Bracewell and Bernard Cornwell. One of our more popular features are reviews with giveaways. We almost always giveaway a book with a book reviewed.
This coming year on The Review, I am hoping to develop the project further. We have joined partnership with Independent Book Reviews and Gingernut Books and hope to be expanding what our site can offer readers, reviewers and authors in the coming year. We have some excellent ideas tossing around between us, so look out for The Review this year, it's going to be spectacular!
So that's one pie I have my finger in, the next project I want to talk about is my current WIP The Wolf Banner which is the follow up to Sons of the Wolf. The Wolf Banner is the sequel to Sons and it is 18 months in the waiting. Basically, I wanted a new editor for The Wolf Banner and so I was recommended D Michelle Gent Services by a friend and after chatting to Michelle and sampling her work, I knew my sequel was going to be in safe hands. you can find Michelle's Editing Services here. I am hoping that The Wolf Banner will be ready for publication in April this year.
And finally, I want to remind people about my Threads to the Past blog which I shall be revamping in the near future. I have spent a lot of time working on The Review that this and my Sons of the Wolf blog have been very neglected. I hope now to amalgamate the Sons of the Wolf blog
with Threads to the Past in one new look blog which will not only talk about the Tapestry itself but also other aspects of 11thc life. This will also link in with my research for the period in which the Sons of the Wolf series is set. So I am hoping that you will join me, coming down the passages of time as we untangle all the threads that keep the past alive.
