I was inspired to write my first novel, The War Wolf, after a visit to York. I live locally to the city and this was one of many such journeys. It occurred to me on this occasion that there was something amiss with the city’s obsession with all things Viking. The Vikings ruled York for … Continue reading Back to the Beginning
1066
Well, That Looks a Bit Familiar!
I was browsing through Facebook the other night and got a bit of a surprise. Okay, it is not really surprising to get a surprise from social media, I know, but this one was closer to home than anything else that I have encountered. It did not involved a cat or an example of stupid … Continue reading Well, That Looks a Bit Familiar!
I Write Because I Enjoy Telling Stories
So, 'The Blade's Fell Blow' has gone to be published and will be delivered to any pre-release purchasers on the 951st anniversary of the Battle of Hastings! Of course I am very pleased about this as it is the culmination of a lot of work. I was very impressed when Amazon linked all three of … Continue reading I Write Because I Enjoy Telling Stories
The Sorrow Song Trilogy is Complete!
I have submitted The Blade’s Fell Blow to Kindle Direct Publishing and it has been accepted for pre-order publishing. It is now live on Amazon for release on 14 October 2017, which happens to be the 951st anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. I have to admit that I felt a moment of pride when … Continue reading The Sorrow Song Trilogy is Complete!
What to Do when Finishing a Novel
So, what does a writer do when they have one book nearly finished and another one in second draft needing a lot of work to finish it? Answer: they start another novel of course! I must be mad. I mean, I have spent a lot of time recently on finishing 'The Blade's Fell Blow', the … Continue reading What to Do when Finishing a Novel
The Blade’s fell Blow
I set myself the target of October 2017 to publish the final part of the Sorrow Song Trilogy; The Blade’s fell Blow. I do not normally impose deadlines on myself, I know from past experience that I do not work well with them. This is partly because I have a medical condition that reacts to … Continue reading The Blade’s fell Blow
I had a Moment of Design Madness – Unless it Works of Course in Which Case it’s Genius!
I was looking around Amazon with my own novels as a starting point and I realised that there many fine examples of book covers out there. In fact it seems that everyone has upped their game with regards to covers. As I perused the offerings that came up as being in the same genre as … Continue reading I had a Moment of Design Madness – Unless it Works of Course in Which Case it’s Genius!
The Challenge of Dialogue
One aspect of my written work that I think has changed since I published 'The War Wolf' in 2013 is the dialogue. It is not a dramatic change and I am not talking about just grammar or spelling or punctuation, it is more a question of style, I first noticed this when I was writing … Continue reading The Challenge of Dialogue
Can too much knowledge spoil your entertainment?
I surprised a friend recently by admitting that I did not like the Vikings television show. I had tried watching the first series, or season as they say in America, and just could not get into it. The same was true for the Musketeers, which was aired here on the BBC, despite the fact that … Continue reading Can too much knowledge spoil your entertainment?
Typographical Errors
Having written a book of a very different nature to the previous volumes in the Sorrow Song trilogy I decided to re-read both The War Wolf and For Rapture of Ravens so as to immerse myself back into the world of 1066 once again. I know, some might wonder why this is necessary when I … Continue reading Typographical Errors