The moments immediately preceding the battle gave me an opportunity to describe the equipment and tactics that both the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings shared. They used the same weapons, straight swords, spears, and axes, as well as large wooden shields made to a circular pattern and often decorated with painted designs. I undertook a lot of research on this subject, a fact that more than one reviewer has congratulated me for.
battles
The War Wolf – Let’s Read and Discuss 12
This chapter gave me an opportunity to enjoy some Anglo-Saxon poetry. Unfortunately, I lacked both the knowledge and the time to make an acceptable translation of the poem, The Wanderer, so I approached Rick McDonald who had published a very accessible version. He graciously gave me permission to use it.
The War Wolf – Let’s Read and Discuss 10
Perhaps one of the almost tragic aspects of the Battle of Fulford Gate, other than the fact that it seldom gets more than a footnote in most accounts of 1066, is that, even thought taking to the field rather than holding the walls of York, Eorl Edwin actually made a clever choice of battleground.
The Sorrow Song Trilogy
Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 2 – My version of the Battle of Stamford Bridge
Continuing on from the Battle of Fulford Gate I approached writing about the Battle of Stamford Bridge in exactly the same way. I had received many positive comments regarding how I had gone about describing the action. It seems that I had hit on a successful technique for describing both the action from the point … Continue reading Mixing Fact with Historical Fiction 2 – My version of the Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Fulford Gate
Writing about an actual historical event in a piece of fiction is challenging, especially if, as the writer, you are keen on being authentic and accurate. I most certainly was. I undertook a lot of research into both the actual battle, how it was fought, the weapons and armour, why it happened, and what the … Continue reading The Battle of Fulford Gate
Back to the Beginning
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
The Queen of the Mountain Kingdom is Here!
There is always something satisfying in announcing the release of a new novel. The Queen of the Mountain Kingdom is my sixth book and it still gives me a thrill. There was a time when I thought it would never see the light of day, but then everything just came together. I very happy with … Continue reading The Queen of the Mountain Kingdom is Here!
Writing the Big Battle Scenes
One of the things that really annoys me as both a writer and a reader is poorly executed battle scenes. So often I find them to be disappointing. Many authors seem to adopt a vague approach to writing these scenes, as if vagueness on their part some how conveys the confusion of battle to the … Continue reading Writing the Big Battle Scenes
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!
Peter C Whitaker 