Chris Thorndycroft's Blog, page 9
March 16, 2016
The Rebel and the Runaway Frontispiece
In the spirit of what you might see in the front of an 18th century novel, I designed my own frontispiece for The Rebel and the Runaway and used it in the book itself.
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March 2, 2016
Guest Post – ‘Barbarous Usage’
I’ve done another guest post over at EHFA that explores the murderous events that inspired my new novel, The Rebel and the Runaway. Take a look here!
February 27, 2016
The Rebel and the Runaway Released!
My fourth historical novel – The Rebel and the Runaway – is now available in Amazon’s kindle store! So, if smuggling, rebellion and romance is your bag, take a look at;
February 15, 2016
The Rebel and the Runaway Cover Reveal
With the Hengest and Horsa Trilogy now complete and available, I am free to release other books and work on other projects. This is a novel I’ve been working on for a couple of years now and am thrilled to reveal its cover and blurb. Based on a true murder case that took place in the 1740s, it involves smugglers, rebellions and romance. It is something of a personal story for me, being set in the village I grew up in (at least until I was nearly eight) so I had a blast researching this dark chapter in my village’s history.
Look for The Rebel and the Runaway within the next few weeks.
England, 1746. A wild land sown with the seeds of rebellion. A time when loyalty is bought dear and life sold cheap.
When fifteen-year-old Alice Sinclair runs away from home she embarks on a perilous quest for acceptance in a world bound by prejudice and hypocrisy. Her journey leads her to the White Hart; a grubby inn on the border between Hampshire and Sussex where she finds employment as a barmaid. Alice is at first frightened by the rough clientele but gradually comes to accept them as friends and develops a strong bond with one of them – Will Carter – a dark and dangerous man whose brooding nature masks his true passions.
What Alice doesn’t realize is that her new companions are members of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang; the most feared and violent group of smugglers in all England. She soon finds herself adrift in a maelstrom of murder and betrayal and is forced to question her loyalties when she discovers a connection between the man she loves and the Jacobite uprising against the Crown. On the run, in peril and torn between family and love, Alice’s story is one of passion and defiance, entwined with one of England’s most shocking murder cases.
Based on true events
February 4, 2016
A King’s Legacy Released!
The final installment in the Hengest and Horsa Trilogy is now out in ebook format, available from Amazon! Here’s the blurb;
Before Arthur, before Alfred, England was born in blood and fire.
Britain, 447 A.D. The war in the north is drawing to a close. King Talorc has been placed on the throne of the Pictish tribes and for Hengest and Horsa it is time to return home. But much has changed since they set out to earn their kingdom. Lord Vertigernus has been deposed by his two sons and forces conspire to sunder the alliance between Briton and Saxon.
Hengest’s daughter, Hronwena, embarks on a perilous quest to save the life of a young boy and thwart her odious husband while her sons-in-law invite the famed Bishop Germanus to the shores of Britain, beginning the great battle that will define the age. Soon the whole land is thrown into bloody strife. With loyalties divided, Hengest and Horsa embark on their final battle and history hangs in the balance.
So begins the last chapter in the saga of Hengest and Horsa in which treachery rears its ugly head and loyalties are overturned. Love and honour are lost on the battlefield and only through suffering and heartbreak can the ultimate triumph be achieved; the foundation of England.
January 22, 2016
Character Review at Boom Baby Reveiws!
This was an odd thing to do but sort of fun too. I must admit that the words ‘character interview’ made me cringe but once I read the questions I began to have fun with it. Anyway, here is Hengest giving us the latest on the book and his life…
January 21, 2016
Guest Post – ‘Unlucky Usurpers and Proud Tyrants’
I have written a guest post over at English Historical Fiction Authors called ‘Unlucky Usurpers and Proud Tyrants: The Leadership of Fifth Century Britain’. I’m very pleased that they agreed to have me as they run a fascinating site well worth a look for anybody interested English history of all periods.
The post explores the political background to my novels about Hengest and Horsa and I used the map from the second book in the trilogy in the blog post.
January 19, 2016
Interview at Flashlight Commentary!
Erin over at Flashlight Commentary has kindly interviewed me and left a review of A Brother’s Oath on her blog. Take a look here!
January 15, 2016
Blog Tour Announced!
I’m very happy to announce that the blog tour for my first Hengest and Horsa book – A Brother’s Oath – is kicking off on Monday, 18th. You can see the schedule here. The fantastic Amy Bruno at Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours has organised reviews, interviews and spotlights at various blogs culminating in a giveaway on the 29th at her other site; Passages to the Past. Getting exposure for my novels has always been a difficult and daunting task, so I’m ecstatic that Amy has agreed to work with me. I hope some of you will stop by!
October 17, 2015
‘A Warlord’s Bargain’ Released!
Book 2 in the Hengest and Horsa Trilogy is now out and available in ebook format from Amazon and Smashwords. The third one will be released sometime next month with plans for paperback editions in the near future. Here’s the blurb;
As war consumes Britain, the struggle for a nation continues.
South East Britain, 447 A.D. Hengest and Horsa – two Jutish exiles – have made names for themselves as raiders and pirates, plundering the coast and striking terror into the hearts of merchants and British noblemen. They take what they want and, as their power grows, they set their sights on larger prizes.
But in the Byzantine corridors of the great town of Londinium, the ruling powers are plotting war. Lord Vertigernus, head of the Council of Britannia, desires an alliance with these pagans from across the sea and will stop at nothing to get it. Soon, Hengest and Horsa are drawn into the political power plays of post-Roman Britain where little is what it seems and none are to be trusted.
Ambrosius Aurelianus – the last military master of the Britons – marches north to wage war on the Picts. Hengest and Horsa ride under his banner as mercenaries fighting for the land promised them by Lord Vertigernus. As shields are splintered and blood is shed in the dim forests of the north, events are put in motion that will have both catastrophic and defining results for the struggling island of Britain.
