tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23547324826904191322024-02-06T20:28:52.564-08:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIESDavid Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-23057715664430415552017-03-12T03:47:00.000-07:002017-03-12T03:56:19.839-07:00GAMBLE AT TRAFALGAR<div abp="19" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div abp="20">
<div abp="21">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="21" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="22" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSS4dMlJtbh_l7-Yw8UeyrlOI_PPv3ep2b2Hhkji2mUPBawVUFsmCgloma5K4Oc9CB1eSj1ftAKqNQFntpblRs6w20eQT3rwlI-Kfqz5CPCxCuMEpcfKjbcWxS7q8kqZolxEvy-BNGFl4/s1600/Marine4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="23" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSS4dMlJtbh_l7-Yw8UeyrlOI_PPv3ep2b2Hhkji2mUPBawVUFsmCgloma5K4Oc9CB1eSj1ftAKqNQFntpblRs6w20eQT3rwlI-Kfqz5CPCxCuMEpcfKjbcWxS7q8kqZolxEvy-BNGFl4/s400/Marine4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div abp="1299" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1191">
<div abp="27">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1191">
<div abp="29">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="63" align="center" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
</div>
<h2 abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
<br abp="1627" />GAMBLE AT TRAFALGAR</h2>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
by David Cook</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
<br abp="1628" />Gamble at Trafalgar</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
Copyright © David Cook 2017</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
The right of David Cook to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
<em abp="1651">''England expects that every man will do his duty''.</em></div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div abp="1191" style="text-align: center;">
<em>- Horatio Nelson</em></div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Captain Simon Gamble stared out across the Atlantic Ocean to where the distant enemy waited. His blue-green eyes twinkled in the hazy early morning light as HMS Sea Prince; a third rate seventy-four gun vessel of the line, was in one of the two columns that made up Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson's battle fleet.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The British had spent the summer chasing and hunting the French fleet, which had slipped through the blockaded port of Toulon. Nelson had sent the fleet to the Mediterranean after them, thinking the French admiral, Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, would likely try to make for the coast of Egypt. But the French were not spotted and Nelson, quickly realising his error, ordered the British ships west. The pursuit took them to the Caribbean and then back across the Atlantic towards Europe where bad weather forced Villeneuve to combine with the Spanish fleet at Cádiz, a port-city on the south-west coast of Spain. The French ships were built to aid Napoleon Bonaparte's planned invasion of the United Kingdom and together, they could conquer the English Channel, and if the Franco-Spanish ships managed to now evade the British fleet, then a landed invasion of the United Kingdom was terrifyingly real.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Colder than a dead man's handshake,' Sergeant Archibald Powell said through chattering teeth, as a sudden gust struck the ship.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble agreed with him. He had not felt this cold since leaving the Channel Islands in January, where the Sea Prince had spent three months having repairs done and her bottom scraped clean. The hull below the waterline was covered with copper plates to protect it from flora and fauna that would eat into the unprotected wood or grow on the hull and restrict the ship's movement. He had half-forgotten how cold it could be on deck even wearing his thick cloak and kidskin gloves. He wore the red woollen coat faced with Royal Blue, a mark that the Corps of Marines had been given the King's honour and was now called the Royal Marines. Gamble had proudly served as a marine for seventeen years. An auspicious life; some would say lucky when so many others had perished since the outbreak of the wars against Revolutionary France, and now Imperial France. He had fought the Spanish in Tenerife, boarded a French ship during the Battle of the Nile, led countless cutting out actions, landings, and was responsible for the liberation of Gozo, one of the Maltese Islands, by storming an enemy held fortress. He had been present during the French capitulation of Malta, but allowing revenge against a French officer to get the better of him, he had been shot in the leg. Recovery had been painfully slow, because the wound had become infected and Gamble shivered and sweated for six months in the Santa Infermeria, the city's main hospital. He was too ill to join Sir Ralph Abercromby's Expeditionary force, which gained a great victory at the Battle of Alexandria in March '01. By the spring of that year, Gamble had been sent to Guernsey to convalesce.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
It was a blessing to see his beautiful island home again, but also a heart-breaking reminder for his father had driven the family into penury. He vanished, leaving the stately ancestral home to be sold to offset monstrous gambling debts. Gamble's mother and sisters managed to rent a small cottage, but they could no longer afford luxuries or servants and paying for food was always a concern. Gamble unconsciously touched the pommel of his cutlass, hanging in its scabbard at his left hip, where his fingers twirled around a tattered scrap of silk. It had once been a handkerchief belonging to his mother; a parting gift for her eldest son who promised to return with enough money to pay for his father's grievous arrears and buy back their home. Most of Gamble's wages went to his mother, but there was still a hefty balance outstanding. His rough finger tips felt the hard stitches of the embroidered family crest. He clenched his jaw hard; the memory of the ruin still rankled after all the years.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Boots thumped and Gamble looked up to see his marines run to the forecastle rails to stare out across the flat, slate-coloured ocean to espy the enemy.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Like bloody excited weans,' Corporal Thomas MacKay growled. Gamble noticed that he was walking with a limp. 'That useless bastard Bray puked his stinking guts out over my boots, sir,' MacKay explained. 'I ordered him to clean them and the silly bastard threw a pail of seawater over them while I was still wearing them. Head full of holystone!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Holystone was soft sandstone used to scrub the decks and Gamble stifled a chuckle. Marine Uriah Bray was the most useless soldier under his command.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I'll say it again,' Powell said, his voice deepened by years of salt air, 'let me tip the bastard overboard. No one will care.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Not before he pays me back the shilling he owes,' MacKay grumbled.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You were too trusting of that fuck-beggar, Tom,' Powell remarked disdainfully.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I was too drunk,' the Scotsman muttered regretfully.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble wasn't listening. The wind was like a lover's gentle whisper and the ships were lumbering. The decks were crammed with men gazing eastwards where a thin bar of rose-gold sun, streaked across the ocean and over the smudge of topsails of the enemy ships. Through countless volleys of musket-fire and rills of powder smoke, under cannonades that shook his very bones, Gamble, at thirty-five, as scarred and hardened as any Royal Marine, still felt the pang of anxiety at the anticipation of battle.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Not since the Nile, sir,' Powell said, echoing Gamble's own thought's. 'Not been in a sea battle since.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble turned to his old friend, knowing there was no one else he would rather have at his side. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You and I understand that it gets better when the fighting starts. The fear does go.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye, sir,' Powell replied, scratching at a louse bite at one of his thick black side whiskers that framed his battered face, 'but it's the waiting that makes my old bones ache.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble often considered that the Plymouth-born Powell was like an ancient English oak; his torso was like a thick-bellied trunk, his arms were like knotted branches and his weathered-face like wrinkled bark. The sergeant always bristled with weaponry. He carried a long-barrelled musketoon; a weapon that had a flared muzzle similar to a blunderbuss that was deadly in close quarter fighting. As well as a boarding pike that could stab and pierce, he wielded a pair of throwing axes, much like a tomahawk, which each had a spike atop the blades head. The matching pair had been a gift given to him for saving the life of a Shawnee Indian named Blue Jacket who fought for the British during the war against the Americans. The blades showed their age, the notches and scratches each had a story and Gamble looked down at his own weapons, which were as richly detailed. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The cutlass had a rolled iron grip, a thirty-inch blade of finely tempered steel, but although some considered it ugly, it was a weapon Gamble would not dare go into battle without. Tucked into his belt was a bone-handled dirk and a pistol that was hooked to the leather in case he accidently dropped it boarding an enemy vessel.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You think we'll fight today, sir?' MacKay asked.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble gave a slight shrug. 'If we're lucky Monsewer doesn't escape. If we're lucky the damned weather holds out.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Oh, I'm sure we'll give our broadsides to the Crapauds today,' said a voice behind Gamble.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
It was Benjamin Pym, captain of the Sea Prince, a Cornishman and good friend.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Is that so?' Gamble asked.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym, wearing his finest naval dark blue coat adorned with twin gold epaulettes, tasselled hat, white silk stockings and polished shoes, smiled as though he held the answers to the world's grief. He held his expensive telescope in his hands, clasped behind his back. 'I detect an ounce of scepticism in your voice, Simon. There'll be a fight today. I can feel it in my belly.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Amen to that, sir,' Powell said.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym swivelled his head, hazel eyes glinting brightly in his freckled face. 'Keen to have a go at the enemy, Sergeant?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'All-a-gog, sir. It's our God-forsaken duty to fight the bastards at every opportunity.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Well said, Sergeant.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Thank you, sir,' Powell replied, then cleared his throat. 'I learned to trust my gut instinct many moons ago, sir. Back in '77 when I fought the Yankees at Philadelphia—'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble groaned. 'Not now, Archie.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye aye, sir,' Powell replied with disguised disappointment.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym jabbed a finger towards the enemy fleet. 'Command have said that there are thirty-three of the enemy against the twenty-seven of us,' he said to no-one in particular, then turned to one side and summoned coffee to be served. Two young midshipmen, overhearing the request, sauntered over in the hope that Pym might be generous enough to include them.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble looked up at the huge sails that rippled and then sagged. 'If the wind keeps up we'll catch them. If not, it could be hours until we engage.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Is that your best summation, Captain?' Pym teased.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye, sir,' Gamble replied with a smile.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You should have a think about becoming a midshipman,' Pym continued to mock good naturedly, his Cornish accent purposefully thickened. Midshipmen, usually in their teens, were to help lieutenants control the crew. If good enough, they could take command of small boats or prizes. 'A captain commanding one of His Britannic Majesty's vessels could learn a lot from your expert knowledge.' He then gave a great burst of a laugh, saw the two junior officers waiting for coffee. 'What are you doing here?' he asked.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The braver of the two answered. 'We seek to learn from you at every opportunity, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym ordered them to the poop deck. 'Damnable cheek,' he said scowling at their retreating form, then grinned liking their effrontery. The ships bell sounded indicating that a new watch had begun. 'A good captain needs able men, Simon. Lord Nelson was kind enough to impart that advice to me.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I know, sir,' Gamble replied. 'I was there and he said the same to me.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym laughed at the memory. 'So he did.' </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A few weeks ago Gamble was invited aboard HMS Victory where he met his good friend Charles Adair, another marine captain, and both were present when Nelson had explained his plan of attack to his naval officers. Gamble recalled that Nelson had said that the ships were to form two columns, with Nelson in command of one and Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood the other, and sail at the centre and rear of the enemy line of battle that would bring the British ships into close action and cut off the van of the Franco-Spanish fleet. With the enemy split into three parts, the results would be decisive. The officers had applauded Nelson and congratulated him on a masterly and yet, controversial plan. Firstly, it would bring the fleet in close with the enemy reducing the chance of their escape and secondly it would bring close quarter fighting which Nelson had confidently exclaimed the British would win. 'We have superior ships, gentlemen,' he had said fervently, 'superior seamen, faster gunnery and better morale. The Frogs and Dons don't stand a chance.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
But what Gamble understood from that plan is that the leading British ships would be exposed to raking broadsides from the enemy, and the shots would smash into their unprotected bows. Also the British would not be able to offer counter-fire.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Like your namesake,' Pym had told him, 'Nelson's plan is a gamble. But if it pays off, the prize money will make us all rich.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Money, Gamble had let the word echo around his skull. He knew it was a shameful truth, but that was the way of the world, and money would bring happiness. He would clear the debt and buy back his family home after nearly two decades of hurt and shame. Battle, blood, horror and death could make that happen in this wicked world. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'As you said,' Pym continued, 'if the wind keeps up.' He gave the sea and the grey sky a bitter glare as the Sea Prince ghosted along. 'At this speed, a healthy landlubber could out walk us.' He glanced at Gamble, eyes took in the multitude of scars that covered his sun-darkened face and felt proud to have him as his marine captain. 'Speaking of healthy men, how are your marines? Still know still know which end of their musket the ball comes out of?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble grinned. 'Of course, but if they don't then they'll get a basting from Sergeant Powell. There is one that I could happily throttle with my bare hands, but as I am down to one platoon, I need all the men I can muster.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble commanded a large company of one hundred and twenty, but the Royal Marines had all been dispersed about the fleet, so the first lieutenant and his platoon were now aboard the Dreadnought to bolster the redcoats stationed there.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Good man. I can't tell you that having you here alleviates any . . . fears I might have.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You have nothing to worry about,' Gamble told his friend. 'Your men serve you as well as Commodore Eaton. In fact, I detect they are happier.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'It probably had something to do with that double ration of rum some idiot in charge agreed when we tacked out of the Indies,' Pym suggested with an innocent shrug. 'Luckily there were no incidents that arose from that rather naïve and asinine instruction.' He then peered at the gold light seeping from the horizon. 'This is my first command,' he spoke quietly and solemnly. 'I want to prove I am capable.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble understood his fears; maybe not of battle, for Pym had often accompanied him on cutting out missions and had led naval landing parties, but a fear of failure.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You are the most capable officer I've ever known,' Gamble told him. 'Your gun crews can load and fire faster than most. The men will follow you into the gates of Hell if you gave such a command.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym beamed at his friend who, despite a savage scar running up his jaw line and half and ear missing, looked quite dashing in his short scarlet coat adorned with a gold gorget, gold lace and buttons, royal blue breeches and tall polished boots. Pym waited for the servant to finish bringing up the cups of steaming coffee before making his reply. 'When the battle begins, I have already instructed Lieutenant Tapp, should I fall, to continue with the plan to bring the ship as close to the enemy as possible and destroy them. I would like you to tell Rebecca that I died a hero's death; an honourable death and that I never stopped loving her until the last.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble hesitated, then dipped his head. 'You have my word.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Good.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble thought momentarily about such an empty, cold and dreadful world without his friend and shuddered. He brought his cup to his mouth and was pleasantly surprised to find that the coffee was actually from coffee beans and not 'scotch coffee', a drink made of ship's biscuit over-baked until it crumbled, boiled with water until reduced to a thick consistency and served with a little brown sugar. He savoured the taste, thinking it must have been during the winter that he had last had a real cup of coffee.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym pleased with the affirmation, smiled. 'I have left my wife a letter in my trunk. See that she receives it also.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I will, of course.' Gamble said, then sighed. 'You're being peculiarly morbid?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'One has to make preparations for the end, Simon.' Pym said peevishly, then looked out across the vast water. 'I want you on the foretop when this day's business starts, but you are to remain with your marines at the forecastle until I give the word. When we sail at them, the enemy's gun port's will be aiming right at us and that's when the raking will begin. It could take thirty minutes to reach their line. Thirty minutes of defenceless broadsides.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'They won't be able to fire all their guns,' Gamble answered, considering the angle of the gun ports will restrict the fire. 'When we break their line we can fire the larboard and starboard broadsides at the bastards. That's how we're going to slaughter them. Remember the Nile.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym said nothing, thinking what Englishman would dare forget such a triumph. England rejoiced at the news and the country would again after the looming battle for Nelson had said it would be one that our grandchildren's children would still celebrate in their lifetimes. Pym always felt stronger when his friend's steely confidence seemed to batter away the dark clouds of his insecurities. 'Three shots in five minutes,' he said in a mixture of awe and pride.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'That's why we'll win,' Gamble said. 'I don't know any Frogs that can fire that fast. We're going to win by our gunnery,' he added with force.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'And we have Nelson,' Pym offered a sly grin.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble crossed over to the larboard rail, gazed at Nelson's column that lay a mile to the north, and grinned wickedly. 'The enemy don't stand a bloody chance.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Except that the wind was still light, frustratingly light, and the English ships sailed as slow as lead models. And Gamble understood that a miracle was needed if they were to catch the enemy in time, for if they failed, Bonaparte would be unopposed and would land his reported one hundred-and-fifty thousand men camped at Boulogne.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The fate of the United Kingdom wrestled with the Royal Navy.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Christ, a chorus of farts sound better than this,' Powell grumbled loudly, a finger in one ear, as the Sea Prince's band played a number of songs on the weather deck. Gamble recognised most of them for the crewmen could carry a tune such as; 'Come All Ye Valiant Heroes', 'Heart of Oak' and 'Rule Britannia'.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Marine William Coombe, one of Gamble's drummer boys, asked permission to join the band.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Denied,' Gamble shook his head at the snub-nosed teenager. 'I want you to remain at the forecastle. Besides, the Tars are getting bored with the usual ballads and will no doubt soon be singing about girls with big tits, plump thighs and heavenly doodle-sacks.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'That's why he wants to join in, sir,' Powell said, grinning.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Coombe, not yet fourteen, blushed.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I bet you can't wait to split a lady's beard, eh lad?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Coombe's young face was puce with embarrassment.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Careful you don't end up with a blue boar,' Powell said, using the nickname for a bubo brought on by unclean intercourse. 'Private Fry ain't stopped scratching his ballocks for a month and Doctor Girling can do nothing for him. Not even a dose of mercury can shift it.' </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I thought you've been laying with Lizzie?' Gamble asked Coombe.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Lizzie, one of the dozen whores aboard ship, was a strikingly attractive woman, slim with dark curls and eyes that twinkled like blue diamonds.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'No, that was me, sir,' said Nathaniel Priest, Gamble's seventeen year old Second-Lieutenant crossing the deck. He was from Norfolk, a black-haired, tall, long-limbed young man, green eyes and carried with him an easy going, playful and yet respectful air. 'Big lad from Blakeney. She can't get enough of me.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'It's those eyes of yours, Nate,' Gamble told him, 'draws you to her like a moth to a candle flame.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Priest's mouth twitched. 'There I was thinking she was just after my shaft.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The men laughed raucously. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble liked Priest and had served with many other fine marine officers over the years. Good men, all of them. Most were dead now, but his old friend, Henry 'Harry' Kennedy, was now a captain and commanded his own company. Gamble had not seen him for two years and missed him awfully, but Kennedy was a good and able officer and Gamble had always known at he would never have stayed his lieutenant for too long.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble brought out his long-barrelled telescope and stared at Nelson's northern column. He extended the brass tubes and trained it on the black and yellow painted ships. There, between the Ajax and the Conqueror, Britannia; Kennedy's ship, seemed to glide along with the others on the vastness of water. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Good fortune to you, Harry,' Gamble said softly.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
He brought the scope around to the east, extended the tubes and tracked the enemy vessels. The nearest showed their hulls above the water, but he thought the fleets seemed no nearer than a couple of hours ago. He guessed it might be four or five hours until battle ensued.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble heard men talk about their wives or sweethearts and felt a pang of remorse. He had often considered that one day his heart might find itself heavy and cross the great ocean of love, and perhaps that would happen in peacetime. For now, his thoughts were on battle and love would have to come another day.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Rather portentous,' Pym uttered.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble glanced at him, then up at the blue sky and astern where to the west, the clouds were massing in dark hellish forms. 'Nothing to worry about,' he said calmly. 'Looks like they'll turn southerly.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym sighed. 'I wanted to give a speech.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'What's that got to do with the weather?' Gamble asked, confused.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I don't want the men seeing an approaching storm as I try to instil some confidence,' Pym countered airily. 'I want them keening for enemy blood, not wondering if a gale will rip away the main sails.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble thought about that. 'Perhaps the storm is a portent of our enemy's destruction?' he suggested.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym opened his mouth to offer an acidic response, considered the words and, liking them, nodded with approval instead. He edged to the quarter deck rail, and removed his hat. The band saw him mid-song, and instantly went still. Voices quietened to a low hum then nothing, and suddenly two hundred pairs of eyes were gazing up at him.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gulls screeched far above the foremast, circling like scraps of white linen tossed in the sky. The rigging creaked, timber boards groaned and the sound of the bow cutting through the ocean were the only sounds.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym cleared his throat. 'Time will soon be upon us, men,' he said. 'Time to give the Frogs and the Dagoes a proper thrashing before we have to batten down the hatches,' he gestured up at the threatening clouds. 'They fear us, but we don't fear them.' A murmur rippled in the great throng below him. The was a woman on deck dressed in long skirts, a sharp nose set in a pitted face. One of the whores, Pym considered, and he pretended not to notice her. 'We've fought them before and we've been victorious. I have served with you for many years. Some of you old hands will recall my younger days as a wet-behind-the-ears midshipman.' He let a chuckle from the men die away. 'I know you will not let me down. I will not let you down. Obey the orders and when we find ourselves lee side or weather side of an enemy ship, we shall be victorious! We will take the fight to the enemy for the world will not wait for us! For England!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The men cheered him and immediately the band played 'Rule Britannia' louder than before. Gamble watched as men danced jig's and applauded. They swore oaths to King George, to Pym, to God and to Nelson. Voices spoken in a score of different accents, most English, but there were Scots, Welsh, Irish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Danish, American, German, West Indian and even a Frenchman aboard.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym carefully placed his hat back on his head and turned to the senior officers present. Gamble heard him repeat Nelson's plan of action. A Cornish lieutenant by the name of Fullbrook went as pale as cartridge paper, while another by the name of Treasure-Jones seemed indignant as though he found such a strategy reckless.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'They shall tear our bows to kindling,' the Welshman complained. 'We shall be shot through, dismasted and left to the mercy of God.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
There were gaps in the ships and Collingwood, aboard the Royal Sovereign, was starting to break away. The Sea Prince was the fifth ship in the column, between the Tonnant and the Bellerophon.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I'm proud of the Prince of Waves,' Pym said to Gamble, using the nickname given to the Sea Prince. 'It's a proud day, Simon. I–' he started to say, but Burrows, the signal lieutenant was calling for his attention. 'What is it?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Signal, sir!' Burrows said, gazing at the pennants of colour were hoisted from the Royal Sovereign. The message was being repeated and passed down through every ship. He was squinting at the flourish of colours stark against the weathered-white sails, trying to decipher the message from the flag code.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Can you read it or not?' Pym called up to him impatiently.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye, sir,' Burrows replied desperately trying to understand the long signal of thirty-one different flags running down the masts. The last seven flags represented a letter for the word not included in the code book. He grinned when he understood. 'It's from the admiral, sir. England expects that every man will do his duty.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym considered it. 'Very good,' he replied, turning to his assembled officers. 'Make a note of that order in the logbook. Pass the message on down to the men.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye aye, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Fullbrook leaned in with a impudent smirk. 'Does the admiral's order include the foreigners aboard, sir?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Of course it does,' Pym said haughtily. 'We all serve King and country. The trouble with you, Lieutenant, is that anyone who isn't Cornish is a foreigner.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Fullbrook nodded. 'Very true, sir. Thank God the admiral has two of Cornwall's finest at his command.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
There was a huge roar of patriotic cheering on the decks which made the hairs on the back of Gamble's neck stand on end. 'I think the men rather like the admiral's message, sir,' he said.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A smile ghosted on Pym's face. 'Time the order was received, Mister Ward?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A small and painfully thin midshipman replied. 'Ten minutes to noon, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym chewed on his bottom lip and then gave the order for the men to go to their stations. 'The guns are to be double-shotted and charged with grape.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye aye, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The gunners would load the guns with two round shot and then pack a charge of smaller balls on top that would burst apart as the guns fired. Gamble understood that the Sea Prince's opening broadside would be extremely deadly. He had cast off his gloves and cloak to a private to store them in his quarters for he would not need them in battle.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The decks were mostly silent now. The scores of seamen with the band had disappeared down the hatchways to man the lower-deck guns. The wind seemed to fill the huge sails for a brief moment before slacking off.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Another signal from the admiral, sir!' Burrows called out.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'He has a lot to say, doesn't he?' Pym said.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Must be Cornish,' Tapp muttered under his breath.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'The admiral is made of Cornish granite,' Fullbrook declared, having heard Tapp, 'because the enemy have tried to kill him numerous times and only managed to chip bits off him. He's impervious. He'll live forever.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
After a brief pause Burrows had decoded the order. 'Make all sail possible with safety to the masts.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym frowned and cast a caustic eye up at to the heavens. 'Does the admiral expect me to conjure the elements? I need wind! I need to kneel to . . . to . . . The God of Wind, Mister Ward?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The midshipman tiny face screwed up. 'God, sir?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Refer to your Greek history, Mister Ward.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The midshipman licked his dry lips. 'Apollo, sir?' he guessed after a moment.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym groaned and then shook his head despairingly at the young officer.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aeolus,' Gamble said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'It took a bloody bootneck to answer that simple question. Aye, Aeolus. Mister Ward, if you survive today, then I will be adding Greek mythology to your exams.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
There was a sudden boom coming across the swells. Gamble turned and caught sight of white splashes in the water far ahead of the Royal Sovereign's bows. It had sounded like barrels being rolled over timber boards, some would say like thunder, but the enemy had decided to offer the opening salvo at a distance. He trained his glass at the enemy ships and noticed that their ensigns were now flying from the masts making it easier for the British ships to distinguish French Tricolours and Spanish Royal colours. The nearest enemy ships fired again, obscuring their hulls in spurts of cannon-smoke. A few seconds later the sound of the guns resonated across the water.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Gentleman,' Pym said to the officers around him, 'to your places please.' In a flurry of blue the officers immediately went to their designated stations. 'Simon,' Pym touched the marine's arm, 'keep safe,' he said earnestly.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You too, Ben.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
For the gunfire had split the morning's calm and battle was imminent.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble waited on the forecastle with two dozen of his marines under Powell, while Priest commanded thirty on the quarterdeck. Gamble looked to the Tonnant and then weather side to the Bellerophon. He could see marines in their red coats manning their stations on both. Gamble considered everyone was waiting for the moment they would be thick amongst the enemy. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
One of his men bent larboard to vomit, narrowing missing being tripped up by the gunners manning the two thirty-pounder carronades.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'It's normal for a man to be nervous before a fight,' said a sonorous-accented voice. It was spoken by a squat, dark-skinned man called Joseph.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Set's a fighting man's stomach,' Gamble answered correctly.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Joseph chortled. He was a freed slave from Florida, barefoot and naked to the waist with a red neckerchief tied around his ears to help against the deafening bellow from the guns. The material offered no real protection to the seamen, but it kept sweat from stinging eyes. There was a thick lattice work of pale notched scars across his back which denoted many floggings.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You ready for a fight, Joseph?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The black man smiled, showing pearly-white teeth. 'There hasn't been a day yet that I haven't, Captain.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'That's why I'm glad I'm on your side.' He glanced at the other Tars with him who were grinning back, armed with muskets, pistols, cutlasses and pikes.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The marine who had been heaving was Uriah Bray and Gamble was not surprised. Bray half-collapsed back onto the deck and Powell grabbed him by his collar and dragged him back to his post. The private's bulbous eyes were as wide as eggs and his weak chin was slick with vomit.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'If one drop gets on me, Private Bray,' Powell growled, 'I'll smite your costard and feed you to the fishies!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Even they wouldn't want him,' a skeletal-like private called Nicholas Adams joked. The marines laughed at their hopeless companion.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
As the Sea Prince sailed towards the enemy, the sea was being pockmarked by shot, churned white where the iron balls skimmed across the waves, though no missiles struck. Gamble could see that the Tonnant was taking shots, a ball smashed part of her starboard bow and holes appeared in parts of her sails.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Not long now, sir!' Joseph had to shout because the enemy gunfire was suddenly loud.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble watched as the French ship that the Sea Prince was sailing directly towards disappeared in smoke and in the grey fog, large orange flashes denoted the guns hammering shot over the water. A ball sent a huge fountain of spray over the forecastle, like a shower of silver rain. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'That was close, sir,' Powell muttered.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
But the gunfire intensified. The rumble of cannon fire faded and then was replaced again as more guns spat malice, and scores of splashes landed about the British ships. None fired back and none would until they closed the gap.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble heard the order to open ports, which meant that the lower deck's gun ports were to be raised. Daylight would flood the shadows to reveal the mass of seamen, guns and the ship's masts that looked like the trunks of oak trees. Then an order brought the cannon forward so that the long barrels jutted out of the ship when they were hauled in place by the gun teams.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Lie down!' The final order was given, so that the sailors would be better protected in the gaps between the huge guns should the enemy shot strike the ship rather than stand up in the cramped space.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The French and Spanish ships pounded the closing gap with a deadly hail of iron, chain and bar shot. The iron balls whipped the water to foam, slashed great holes in the sails and splintered the upper decks. One chain shot whirled through the air making a loud noise like a gigantic whistling wasp. Luckily, it missed the masts and rigging that it was designed to damage. Gamble watched it flicker away. Suddenly, a marine gasped and a ragged leg spun across the forecastle, spattering the crouching men with hot blood. The maimed private began to scream.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Get him below!' Gamble yelled, and two men picked him up to take him to Girling, the ship's surgeon, who waited for the first casualties in the lantern lit cockpit of the Orlop deck.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The Sea Prince was hit twice, both shots making the ship jerk from the impact. Gamble felt the boards under his feet quiver. The first shot crashed through the beakhead, narrowly missing the boomkins and bowsprit. It gouged a furrow along the gang board and disappeared larboard side. The second smashed into the lower gun deck, striking a gun which sent it crashing into another where it decapitated one seaman, eviscerated another and crushed two more. The bodies were tossed out of the gun ports and the damage inspected by the carpenter.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Jesus,' said a marine.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'He ain't here lad,' Powell quickly remarked, 'just us and that'll have to do.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A billow of wind was loud overhead and Gamble looked up to see that a ball had punched through the foresail leaving a large hole. His mouth was dry and he found himself gripping the hilt of his sword. Another shot skimmed the waterline sending a cascade of water over the forecastle to spatter the carronades. The mutilated marine's blood was washed over the deck.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The Royal Sovereign had sped ahead and broken the enemy line. A huge broadside erupted from the starboard guns into the bows of a French ship that twitched from the impact. Dirty smoke rippled along the decks and bits of shattered wood flecked the sea. Then the larboard guns opened up and the massed fire tore into the stern of a Spanish ship. The sails and rigging shook as the shot smashed through the unprotected timbers, beams and glazed galleries. Gamble stared at the enemy ships as the Sea Prince sailed directly towards rows and rows of ominous dark muzzles. There were enough guns in both fleets to destroy an army with massed artillery fire. The nearest enemy, a Spanish seventy-four gun two-decker, painted black and yellow, suddenly erupted with a broadside that pumped clouds of reeking smoke and sent round shot screaming straight at the Sea Prince. Luckily, most bounced across the swells as the ship crawled to leave trails of white spume as they plummeted to the depths. One hit the timbers below the figurehead; a bust of a young Prince of Wales surrounded by sea nymphs, that sent whistling fragments of painted wood high in the air. Another crashed along the starboard quarterdeck missing Pym and the officers and a third thumped against the copper sheeting covering the hull.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The fickle wind did nothing to lift the gun smoke that shrouded the ships in thick fog so that only the rigging, top sails and masts could be seen. And the guns still fired. The thunderous noise was beginning to hurt the landsmen and the newer marine recruits' eardrums. Gamble heard a great splintering crash followed by screams where a ball had found targets on the poop deck. He watched seamen drag a number of bodies and unceremoniously tip them over the larboard rail. A part of the rail was hit and the air filled with sawdust and fragments of wood. One of the sailors was cut in two by round shot and disappeared in a whirl of blood, gore and bone. Gamble glanced over at the Tonnant where there were rips in the sails, and gouges and splintered marks on the black hull. A blood-soaked body momentarily appeared at one of the upper gun ports where it dropped into the water.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Sail-handlers and other seamen were climbing the rigging to the masts to try to repair broken yards, snapped lines and damaged sails. The British ships near the Sea Prince, the Belleisle, Mars, Colossus and Achille, were all similarly suffering from battle wounds and sailing to death or glory.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Five minutes passed by and the Spanish ship had not fired again. Too slow, Gamble thought, too bloody slow, but perhaps the captain was planning to unleash the hellish guns with one last broadside before the Sea Prince entered the line where those guns could not hit it due to the angle. A brisk wind cleared the air and Gamble could see musket-armed men in the rigging and fighting platforms. Sunlight sheeted the rolling acrid clouds with a pale golden light. The two ships were eight ship length's apart and then suddenly the Spanish ship opened fire. The barrage was so powerful that Gamble felt the vibrations shake his very bones. Jets of flame pierced the grainy-smoke. Solid shot howled and screamed. A ball snatched a marine back in a shower of gore. Another plucked a chunk out of the foremast, a third slammed along the starboard side of the weather deck, bounced as it hit a gun carriage to decapitate Lieutenant Treasure-Jones who was standing no more than three feet from Pym. Terrible screams came from the lower gun deck where an enemy ball had punched through the oak hull and into the gun crews. A sliver of wood, the length of Gamble's cutlass, was driven into the neck of one the seamen couching by Joseph. The man fell forward in a spray of blood, gasping, wide-eyed and began to shake. Joseph and another Tar held the dying man until he went limp and then they tipped the body over the side.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym was steering the Sea Prince in between a French ship and the bows of Spanish vessel, her gaudily painted figurehead showed the Virgin Mary in prayer. Both were four ship lengths away. 'Larboard a point,' Pym called to the helmsman. 'Steady her! Steady her!' He was gauging the distance so that the Sea Prince would drive straight in the gap between the enemy, but get that wrong then he would ram the Spanish ship or become entangled and prone to being boarded. 'Nearly time,' he said to no one in particular, perhaps trying to steady his nerves.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Something slapped the air next the Gamble's mutilated ear, followed by several buzzing sounds around him. It was musket-fire coming from both enemy ships. He was standing in front of the foremast, a prime target for the enemy shooters for they would see the gold epaulette on his right shoulder, sash and cutlass from the decks and platforms. He could not duck away or hide for that was not seemly for an officer to do, and besides Gamble would never contemplate such a thing. He willed the fear away by cursing the enemy. Musket balls drummed the forecastle and weather deck. Splinters flew and the canvass sails were shredded. A ball buried itself in the mast behind him with a loud thud. A marine went down.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Gun crews to stand!' came the order. The boatswain's whistle blew. The midshipmen and lieutenants in charge of their divisions; the gun teams under their command, repeated the order. The gunners cocked their weapons, lanyards held at the ready.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The Sea Prince seemed to lurch as it passed through smoke like great drifting fog banks. The gunners could not see the enemy but they knew the time was close until the order to fire came. A musket ball shattered one of the great lanterns on the quarterdeck. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble could read the name Algésiras written in gold lettering of the French ship below the windowed galleys that spanned the entire width of the stern, and was so close that he reckoned he could reach up and grab a handful of the silk of the trailing Tricolour. A volley of musketry hammered down from the higher stern at the British on the forecastle. A sailor was struck in the head and a marine hissed as a bullet slashed down his back. Spanish marines fired across from their forecastle and the balls thumped into the deck, killing a seaman crouched by a carronade.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Give the Frog bastards a volley, Sergeant!' Gamble ordered.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The marines brought up their muskets and sent a blast of musketry up at the blue-coated French marines obliterating the view with smoke.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Nearly!' Joseph shouted, waiting for the starboard carronade facing the Spanish marines to face the foremast. Then his arm twitched back and the lanyard pulled the firing mechanism and the ugly, squat gun roared its belly full of grapeshot. The shot blew the marines apart and shredded the deck to splinters. The larboard carronade demolished Algésiras's upper galley windows, sending glass shards and fragments of wood everywhere, and tore the French marines aiming at the forecastle into clumps of meat.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aim at the platforms!' Gamble ordered his marines as there were still many musket-armed soldiers on both enemy ships. 'Fire! Fire!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Then Pym gave the order and the lower deck guns belched flame. The noise was deafening. The remaining stern windows shattered immediately and the heavy round shot crashed through the gun decks whipping off limbs, heads and disembowelling the French seamen. The starboard guns ripped into the Spanish ship's bows as every gun discharged twin balls and grapeshot. The balls punched their way through the oak planks, turning the figurehead of the Virgin Mary to kindling, twitching the ratlines to threads and flaying the masts and sails. The air was hot and debris floated in the billowing smoke pumping up from the busy gun ports. The succession of gunfire shivered the sea. Blood and gore sheeted the decks. The starboard broadside seemed to have stalled the Spanish vessel for it hung back. Pym realised the captain had backed his topsails in the hope that, as the Sea Prince carried on, he could fire a deadly starboard broadside into her stern.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble's marines fired up at the huddled enemy and he watched a man tumble from the foretop, the platform that was built where the lower mast jointed to the upper. A bullet hissed to snatch a chunk of wood next to his left boot.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym ordered the helmsman larboard for he wanted to turn with the enemy ships as, once past the line, there was a patch of open sea before the dark coastline of Spain. The Sea Prince turned slowly and the smoke drifted lee side. Gamble left the marines at the forecastle under Powell to check upon Priest. The junior officer had brought every able marine to the foretop and larboard rails, where a staccato of musketry blasted across at the Spaniards.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Casualties, Nate?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Priest repositioned his round hat on his head which had struck by a spent musket ball. 'Three gone below to the good doctor. Two overboard.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble nodded at the report. 'Keep up the fire. Captain Pym will be bringing us alongside the Dagoes. We'll swing larboard like a bloody door and that's when things will get rough.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Board her, sir?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye, we will. We'll trade broadsides first then we'll get in close and board the bitch.' He stared down at the floating wreckage, noting a half-dozen bodies drifting on the current. 'The captain will want to take her as a prize. He'll be a rich man, come dusk.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Priest looked at the dozen enemy ships astern the Spanish ship. 'There is enough quarry here to make a man rich a thousand times over,' he said.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'And to make a name for yourself,' Gamble said, but then gave his young friend a concerned look. 'Just don't do anything bloody silly. Think of Lizzie.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Priest grinned. 'Every night, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A marine stumbled away with blood bright on his white cross belts. Both sides traded musket-fire but the range and the constant swells meant that nearly all the lead balls fell short or went wide. The volleys crackled like hundreds of branches aflame. Pym was staring at the Spanish ship hoping to turn before the enemy let her two deck guns blast the Sea Prince to matchwood. Spaniards armed with pikes, axes and small arms crowded the weather deck. A blast from a carronade twitched the quarterdeck rail and hammered around the gun ports. Smoke curled between the vessels and hovered above the waves like sea mist.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Larboard a point,' Pym commanded the helmsman. The ship's were a pistol shot apart. 'And keep her steady as she goes.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye aye, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The Sea Prince rolled and heaved upon a wave larboard. Lieutenants, petty officers and midshipmen were bringing seamen onto the weather deck. Gamble sent Corporal MacKay to bring Powell and the rest of marines here. He turned to his men when they assembled. 'Make sure you are loaded and fix bayonets! We're going to be boarded, so make ready your weapons!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A command echoed from the Spaniards as the two ships edged closer and then dozens of grappling hooks were thrown over and were hauled tight on rigging and anything they could hook on to. They closed their gun ports and more men clambered ready to swamp the British ship. Planks were dropped. British Tars scrambled to cut the lines and cast away the boards with axes and dirks when a furious volley slashed into the seamen. The hail of lead cut down ten men and misted the streams of pale light air red.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Make ready!' Gamble screamed in the acrid air.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Now!' Pym, watching the scene unfold, ordered his gunners to fire.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The British guns launched a response that rippled along the two decks, pouring a lethal fire into the Spanish hull. The ship shook from the assault and the sailors and marines were wary of that.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Hold your fire!' Gamble held up a hand, for he did not want a wasted shot. 'Let them cross before you shoot the bastards!' The space between the vessels was a killing ground. He admired any man who would cross because it would take nerves of steel to be the first.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Then, as the boarding party started to climb over the gunwales, a massive barrage tore into the ship's larboard side. Some men slipped and fell between the ships. Officers were shouting. The Spaniards turned to see what the commotion was. The Bellerophon's guns had torn into the ship's hull, carronades slashed into the men on deck, drenching the wood and splashing the sails with bright blood. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Fire!' Pym shouted at his gunners. 'Keep up the fire!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The Sea Prince's cannons blasted through the hull and the closed gun ports and the shots twitched the gunners to red ruin. Men screamed, cursed and died. The quarterdeck carronades spat grapeshot and Gamble saw two dozen of the enemy were snatched back.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The Spanish boarding party seemed dazed by the larboard attack as the British guns continually pounded both sides of the ship. There was a lull and then a huge crack as the mizzen mast collapsed amidships, sending men screaming from the maintop and down onto the packed decks trailing rigging, broken timber and sails. The mast crushed men and rammed to a stop against the mainsail. Smoke stung eyes and choked lungs. A musket cart-wheeled through the air.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble knew what to do.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Marines!' he shouted, withdrawing his cutlass, squeezing the hilt he always did before a fight for good luck. 'With me! With me!' </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym saw what was happening. 'Take fire to the devils, Captain Gamble!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The marines and sailors roared in answer. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble climbed up and over the rail and used the nearest timber board to cross. He had to be quick for the surprise would not last. He took three steps and a bullet fluttered past his head. Scores of the enemy were looking at him. Gamble was screaming as he dashed across and jumped to miss a pike thrust. He brought his cutlass down on the Spaniard's bare head, yanked it back in time to parry a marine officer's sword that would have speared his heart. The blue-coated man with a trimmed moustache was younger and slimmer than Gamble, but bright eyes flashed fear when Gamble back cut the cutlass to scythe open the officer's throat. A man with large calloused fingers and arms covered with tattoos came at Gamble with a broad-bladed dirk. Gamble thumped him hard in the belly and then tipped him over the gunwale.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Powell landed with a thud, dropped his pike, and brought the musketoon up. 'Bastards,' he said, hauling the trigger and the flared muzzle whipped two charging Spanish marines back into oblivion. He slung the impotent, smoking weapon over his shoulders, grasped the pike and sliced it savagely into the face of an enemy who, struck by the weapon, hauled back the trigger on his musket to send the ball up at the great sails.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Marines!' Gamble was shouting it like a war cry. He rammed the cutlass into a seaman's belly, twisted it free and the blood spilled like a broken wineskin. A man, wounded by grapeshot, moaned when Gamble trod on his mangled leg. A sailor with a crucifix tattooed onto his face snarled as he came at Gamble with an axe. He swung it madly, but Gamble thrust his sword underneath the man's chin, the mouth, the tongue and behind the nose so that the tip jarred against the inside of his skull. Blood burst from his nostrils. Gamble kicked the corpse, but the cutlass wouldn't come free. A seaman tried to bludgeon Gamble with a handspike, a tool used to shift the guns. Gamble dodged the club-like weapon, his hat falling from his head, and then suddenly Powell rammed his pike into the man's belly as the enemy lifted the heavy tool and shook like a netted fish. Gamble had to clasp the dead man's hair as he ripped the sword free, sending splintered teeth onto the deck. A sailor with blackened gums sliced the air with a cutlass and Gamble let the man come forward before kicking him between the legs. A gunner went down to a marine's bayonet, letting out a foul cry of pain as he slid beside the walls of fighting men, his beard frothing red. A musket banged and the ball drummed into the redcoat's chest. A Spanish marine tripped on the body and Gamble chopped the cutlass down, feeling its brutal edge crunch through hair, skin and bone. A pistol fired and the ball plucked at the hem of Gamble's coat. 'Marines!' he yelled again. 'Marines!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
More redcoats surged onto the deck. Marine Coombe beat a frantic rhythm with his drum. A ragged volley flashed from both sides and men were plucked off their feet. Somewhere, a wavering Spanish voice was crying out for God. A bullet hit a cannon barrel and ricocheted noisily away. A seaman gasped and vomited blood. Corporal MacKay, having lit one of the magazine's grenades, was shot through a lung. He fell back against the gunwale, the grenade spinning free as his arm was jarred. The fuse fizzed bright. With the last of his strength, MacKay, blood dribbling from his lips, threw himself on top of it as it rolled with the sway of the ship. The grenade exploded, shredding the Scotsman's corpse in the blast that sent another marine overboard, but doing no other damage. Marine John Willoughby, a hulking, evil-looking rogue who had once been an incessant troublemaker, fired his musket into the mass of enemy, then picked up a discarded axe and charged on in a frenzy. Spanish marines in the foretop fired down at the redcoats and sailors who were cutting a bloody path through their comrades, but the British looked unstoppable.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Come on!' Gamble bellowed in the sheer madness of battle. 'Kill the bastards!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Captain Pym still lived. Lieutenant Tapp had been struck by a bullet that had shattered a collarbone and was down in the cockpit. A midshipman, killed by musketry, was lying on the quarterdeck, having not yet been taken away. Blood ran with every roll of the ocean and made an ugly pattern around the corpse. A cannon ball punched through the spanker and a bullet smacked into the mizzen mast behind Pym. He heard a groan.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Lieutenant Fullbrook?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The young Cornishman, facing away, seemed to be having trouble moving, as if he was disorientated. 'Aye, sir?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Our boarding party,' Pym asked, 'tell me what do you see?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I’m afraid I see nothing, sir.' Fullbrook turned to reveal his face was a mask of blood, cut to pieces by splinters. One jagged piece was sticking in his forehead like a devils horn. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Get below to the surgeon, man,' Pym told him.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I won't leave my post, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'That's an order, lieutenant.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Fullbrook nodded and was helped away by a seaman with a bandaged face and Pym felt alone. He looked at the body of the midshipman and wondered if it was Mister Ward. He should have been below supervising his gun teams. Or was it one of the other young officers? A musket ball smacked into the mizzenmast taking Pym out of his thoughts. He stared across to where his marines and seamen were fighting desperately.</div>
<div abp="1191">
<br abp="1630" /> </div>
<div abp="1652" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="1653" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JMxpmFcGrNDz469M2wKkQdNwu_PExXAqirlOsyoGad5QcDcQbsUTkqCHzGXBOoeZVbVCgu5I6Gs8Ex4cna2n0PEffydIl0tP-kvuOZpm2PsZWgb-EWZJWCsuADGW2IM60wNlYpXQAOw/s1600/587e4c953099f18764fb7f5f60fba900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1654" border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JMxpmFcGrNDz469M2wKkQdNwu_PExXAqirlOsyoGad5QcDcQbsUTkqCHzGXBOoeZVbVCgu5I6Gs8Ex4cna2n0PEffydIl0tP-kvuOZpm2PsZWgb-EWZJWCsuADGW2IM60wNlYpXQAOw/s400/587e4c953099f18764fb7f5f60fba900.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
<br abp="1631" /> </div>
<div abp="1191">
And it was desperate. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The British were outnumbered, but the combined assaults to their ship had stunned the Spanish. The sound of steel striking steel, men hacking, cutting, lunging, twitching and the noises of the dying filled the air. There was no clever plan to outwit the enemy, it was just a vicious fight to the death. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A Jack Tar reeled from a musket shot, blood fountained from his mouth. Gamble slashed at an enemy gunner whose left arm hung limp at his side from having his shoulder crushed during Bellerophon's fire. The man hissed curses at Gamble. Then, a powder-stained naval officer, whose sword was as dark as a hell-creature's fang, emerged from behind the foremast, chopped down and Gamble parried it and threw off the attack, back-stepped and then lunged at the first to spear the man's heart. He kicked the dying Spaniard off the cutlass, then swung the gore-crusted blade to drive the officer back. Gamble snarled at the man, called him a puppy and then had to quickly side-step when the officer rammed the sword at his face with surprising speed. Gamble dodged, but his right boot slid on a patch of blood and he fell onto his side. The officer, long black hair tied behind with a bow, sprang forward and stabbed down. Gamble rolled, but the blade pinned his right sleeve to the deck, and sliced his forearm. The enemy laughed triumphantly. He leaned in calling Gamble a godless whoreson who would die like all the other Englishmen who had come aboard the Bahama. He did not see Gamble bring up his dirk in time. The wickedly-sharp blade punctured his throat. Gamble kept the blade going up, driving it hard into soft skin, staring at the dying, twitching and choking man until he was still. Blood dripped down the hilt and ran down his left hand. A tall, moustached man, stripped to the waist and whose smoke-blackened skin was criss-crossed with sweat, saw Gamble and let out a blood-curdling cry. He hefted a boarding axe and swung it down to cleave Gamble in half. Gamble couldn't move his sword arm, because it was still trapped by the blade. He had to act fast. He kicked the dying officer into the man who was sent backwards against the wide-bellied foremast. The axe dropped into a puddle of seawater, urine and blood. Gamble frantically tried to free himself but he was stuck fast. The axe-man snarled and stretched a big arm out to grab the blade. Gamble knew he was doomed if the man reached it, so stamped his boot hard against the enemy's throat to hold against the foremast. The Spaniard grabbed his leg with both hands, teeth clenched, as he tried to force himself free. Gamble couldn't hold him long, but managed to bring his loaded pistol from his belt and shot him neatly through the head. Gore spattered the foremast as the bullet exited the back of his skull. Gamble used his left hand to wrench his right arm, slicing the sleeve as he freed himself. A Spaniard stooped over Gamble, thinking him wounded and presumably wanting to loot him, and Gamble punched the man in the face, then rose, sword swinging, and he slashed it hard across the man's face. Another enemy seaman was screaming a high-pitched scream as a redcoat's bayonet chopped into his body.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The sky was darkening for it was now late afternoon. Pym paced up and down, musket balls pattered the deck around him from the knot of enemy marksmen still present in the fighting tops. He stared down at a gunner who seemed to be wearing skirts. He blinked. A woman, and she was manning one of the starboard cannons firing at French ship turning away from the battle. A broadside saw the shots plunge in to the sea, but two struck the lower gun deck. Pym felt the blow under his feet. The woman, neckerchief tied around her head was ready with a swab. She looked like she had done this plenty of times before and that made Pym smile. He saw that a gunner lay dead beneath her filthy skirts and Pym was suddenly consumed with sorrow, considering that the gunner may well have been her husband. A sailor, slops tattered, was crawling with his guts hanging out, leaving glistening coils behind. Somewhere a man was begging for water. A bullet buzzed overhead and hit a mast hoop making a ear-splitting noise.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A barrage of thunderous cannon-fire made Pym dash to the starboard rails. The French also had a ship in their fleet called the Achille; a seventy-four gun Téméraire-class vessel, and it was caught between the Defiance and the Dreadnought. A great fire was spewing black smoke from the galleys and the main mast had fallen. Bodies littered the decks. Blood had dribbled down the shattered black and white painted hull. A dozen more ships were fighting astern. More were exchanging fire to the north signifying that the fight still raged where Nelson commanded the fleet. Men were still being mangled by gunfire, but a handful of the French and Spanish ships had struck their colours and were yielding. A burning mastless ship was drifting east. A ship, Pym suspected Spanish, was trailing a mast and fallen rigging, was being continually raked by the Swiftsure. The burning Achille suddenly exploded in a great sphere of light that seemed to scorch the heavens. Fiery debris flecked the water and Pym, a hand shielding his eyes from the painful glare of the blast, could see the bodies, tossed into the air like ragdolls, spiral back down to earth, a few hitting the sinking wreck with a wet crunching sound. Great clouds of steam hissed as the flames were doused by the water. Bubbles broke the surface. Dozens of long boats, barges and gigs were being rowed out by British sailors to pick up survivors from the fight, or were sent to the enemy ships who had succumbed to take a formal surrender from their officers.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Some Spaniards had escaped Gamble's charge and rushed to the gunwales to slice the grapnel lines to cut off the British, but they were too few and were killed by the Sea Prince's carronades spitting casks of musket balls.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble and his marines had fought like crazed men across the weatherdeck to where a final knot of enemy were offering resistance on the quarterdeck. The decks were bullet-ridden, blood-slick, and the Spanish crews utterly exhausted or dazed by the ferocity of the battle.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble was growing weary. A ship fight brought out the bloodlust in him although during such horror he had no time to think on that. It was only afterwards when he would reflect on the men he had killed or seen killed. He knew he was good at fighting; close quarter fighting, where men would be close enough to smell each other's sweat. To fight like a fiend, a man had to get angry and Gamble channelled rage from life's injustice and the determination to win. The enemy had to be beaten at all costs. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
But they would not give in yet.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'With me! With me!' Gamble yelled, voice becoming hoarse. He was desperately thirsty too.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A pikeman was drawing back his weapon, but a man stepped in front with a cutlass held low and Gamble drove his own blood-clotted blade into his chest, feeling it strike his breastbone. A boat hook yanked a redcoat off his feet where he was subsequently bayoneted by two Spanish marines. Men were punching, kicking, biting and trying to claw each other's eyes out. Gamble punched an enemy and a wounded man reached out to grab his boot to trip him, but Gamble stamped on his fingers and kicked him hard in the face. A figure appeared at the corner of his right eye and he quickly swept the cutlass in a massive haymaking blow that deflected a bayonet thrust. He then twisted to hammer a pike away from slicing up into his groin, cursed the man and then lunged to drive the musket-armed enemy towards the rail. A Spanish marine officer, well-dressed with hardly a stain on his uniform, levelled a pistol at the base of Gamble's head.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Look out, sir!' A voice shouted, and hands pushed Gamble out of the way.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The pistol flared bright and the ball ripped though the marine's left arm. A throwing axe whirled through the air to strike the officer square in the chest with a horrible crunching sound. Gamble grabbed the musket's barrel, twisted it away, and pushed the man backwards over the rails. There was a sharp cry before a splash. Gamble turned around to see Powell finish off the pikeman and wrench the axe free. Priest was there, and Gamble could see the lieutenant cutting his cutlass at a much bigger enemy who flailed at the young man with a pike, then Willoughby drove his bayonet-tipped musket into the man's ribs. The Spaniard went down under the marine's weight, and suddenly there were more marines and seamen forcing the last of the enemy to surrender.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Thanks Archie,' Gamble rasped, his strained sword arm aching, chest heaving.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Wasn't me, sir,' the sergeant jutted his sweat-laced head at the wounded marine.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
It was Private Bray and Gamble stared in disbelief. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I'm all-a-mort as you are, sir,' Powell commented.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I . . .' Gamble didn't know what to say. The most useless man he had ever known had saved his life. A musket shot brought him out of his thoughts. There were still a handful of enemy marines in the foretop. 'Fire at those bastards!' he shouted and a volley of musket and pistol fire swept up to obliterate them.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
The Spanish were throwing down their weapons, a few huddled and cowered. A few still offered defiance with swords, levelled pikes and muskets tipped with bayonets. A redcoat thumped a sailor hard in the belly and then drove his musket butt into another man's face. A pistol shot flashed bright, but the bullet went God knows where.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Surrender! It's over!' Gamble shouted, knocking a bayonet down. 'It's over!' The enemy stared at him, sweat-stained and wide-eyed. They did not speak English, but they understood. One man collapsed sobbing into his hands. Weapons clattered onto the deck. Gamble gestured that they sit down. 'Lieutenant Priest!'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Sir?' </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Get our men below and have the rest of the Dons surrender.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Aye aye, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble watched the lieutenant weave through the press of panting and exhausted men and a score of marines and seaman disappeared down the ladders. He wiped his cutlass on the coat tails of a dead enemy marine and then sheathed it. 'That was a proper fight, Archie.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Powell handed him a canteen of grog. 'That was bloody desperate,' he muttered.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble almost emptied it, then thrust it back to him. The ship rocked under gunfire and Gamble sent an order to the Sea Prince to cease firing and that Pym be told of the victory, a sweat-stained, smoke-blackened and blood-spattered victory. Then, the realisation hit Gamble that they had won and he staggered down to the weatherdeck that was strewn with corpses, congealed puddles of blood that resembled spilt pitch, discarded weapons and fragments of the battered ship. The stench of blood was thick and metallic. Seamen were putting out small fires. A Spaniard, wearing a silver cross around his neck, tried to talk to him, but he pushed the man away. Coombe was giving water to a wounded enemy. Lieutenant Burrows, arm in a sling, appeared with the Union Jack to be hoisted on the maintop and the Spanish flag taken to be presented to Pym. Privates' Bray and Adams were carrying a wounded senior Spanish officer towards the Sea Prince, for evidently he had demanded to be treated by a British surgeon.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Private Bray,' Gamble said and the marine halted. 'How's the arm?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Just a flesh wound, sir,' Bray replied, clenching his teeth.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble could see that it wasn't. He scanned the heap of bodies, immediately being drawn to the score or more wearing redcoats. Willoughby lifted MacKay's body with a gentle reverence that he had never assumed the man capable of. Gamble had been wrong about men before and today had taught him a good lesson in judgment.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I never thanked you for what you did,' Gamble said. 'You saved my life.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Bray looked down at his feet and muttered something unintelligible.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'From this moment on,' Gamble told him, 'you are promoted to corporal. I want two stripes sewn onto your arm by dawn.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Adams stared dumbfounded.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Bray, with his round shoulders and ugly slack mouth, suddenly straightened. 'Aye aye, sir.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Get the wound looked at. Oh, and be careful not to drop the bastard overboard.' Gamble shot them a mischievous grin. 'Carry on.' He watched them go and let out a chuckle of astonishment at the private's elevation. If there had been one man who had not deserved it, Gamble would have wagered this morning that the man would have been Uriah Bray. But life was strange and Gamble recognised such an act should deserve recompense. He came across Joseph who was spattered with gore.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'None of its mine, sir,' Joseph said, the whites of his eyes and his teeth were startling bright.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I'm glad,' Gamble replied warmly. 'There's a dead officer behind me. Rich looking bugger. Might have something on him.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Joseph smiled. 'Bless you, sir,' he said and disappeared to loot the victim.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Cheers sounded and a ripple of hurrahs rang out as Pym stepped onto the deck some minutes later.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Congratulations, sir,' Gamble said, watching the Spanish prisoners be herded to the foredeck. British seamen were lashing the two ships together. 'Your prize awaits.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Pym was smiling, went to speak and then suddenly his eyes flooded with tears. 'Stay here a moment,' he said to Gamble as they spilled down his freckled cheeks to drip onto his grimy coat. Please don't move. I don't want the men to see me like this.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble nodded, wondering what ill news waited. The sound of cannon-fire still rocked the sky but the ensigns showed all of them here were British ships and captured vessels. The wounded were being carried below decks. Water was being rolled out in their barrels to quench the men's thirst.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I apologise, Simon,' Pym said, wiping his face. The blood on Gamble's face was turning black. 'So many dead.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'A victory is never without its casualties.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Admiral Nelson was killed,' Pym blurted. 'Collingwood is flying the commander-in-chief's flag. Dear God, Nelson is dead.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble couldn't believe it. He suddenly felt a cold emptiness creep through his body. He fingered his tattered sleeve because he didn't know what else to do. Nelson killed? It didn't seem possible.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
A hand gripped his forearm.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I wanted to tell you something else. No,' Pym said seeing Gamble's battered face suspect more grim news. 'I might well be awarded forty thousand pounds in prize money,' he said and Gamble whistled softly. Pym smiled. 'I'm paying off your debt.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble stared at him and then laughed. 'Don't be ridiculous. I won't accept the gift.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'You took this ship,' Pym explained, 'and you will receive your own distribution of the prize, but it won't be enough to clear the debt, will it?'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'No.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Then, old friend, I will do my utmost to help you secure your family's home. I will not watch you struggle anymore. It's the least I can do for you.'</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble wanted to tell him that he would not accept such charity, but that was his stubbornness talking. All of a sudden the weariness of today's battle and the bitter turmoil he had been carrying for years which had strained every muscle and every bone and had poisoned his mind, felt as though it was beginning to lift. A serene blaze of elation engulfed him and Gamble half-collapsed. Tears of relief sheeted his eyes before he could stop them and he could not hold them back.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'Sir!' Powell rushed over, thinking his captain had been struck by something.</div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
'I'm fine, Archie,' Gamble said, wiping his eyes. 'I'm fine.' He was smiling so widely that it made his face tighten painfully. But Gamble didn't care. He turned around to stare out to sea. The future had changed now because of battle and he considered that without it he may never have had much of a future. Men had to die and blood had to be spilt so that a future life of possibilities could be lived. </div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
<div abp="1191">
Gamble felt free at last and the ships sailed for home.<br abp="1632" /> </div>
<div abp="1191">
<div abp="1558">
<span abp="1006" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p abp="1007"></o:p></span> </div>
<div abp="1558">
<span abp="1009" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p abp="1010"></o:p></span> </div>
</div>
<div abp="1011" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="1012" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DNYwm5XtONqqQ5RuS5dLGTZVMJqXmo3Ah2QB_3uIjt7bpYqbBs7B27TsJJ8hyphenhyphen6oXdrzGWVOTHFcWIvYrxRdAOkk_r1KN7MsrwYwqdbiX7ASD29GBULFh0k6yx1CzoTVFcKTUnzoaHf4/s1600/c154f2ae63c4e61e37397e5dd7c522b3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1013" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DNYwm5XtONqqQ5RuS5dLGTZVMJqXmo3Ah2QB_3uIjt7bpYqbBs7B27TsJJ8hyphenhyphen6oXdrzGWVOTHFcWIvYrxRdAOkk_r1KN7MsrwYwqdbiX7ASD29GBULFh0k6yx1CzoTVFcKTUnzoaHf4/s400/c154f2ae63c4e61e37397e5dd7c522b3.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
<div abp="1569">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1191">
</div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-76910528788416935072016-06-25T06:00:00.000-07:002016-06-25T06:00:52.703-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES FEATURING KIM IVERSON<div abp="14">
</div>
<div abp="15">
</div>
<div abp="213" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="214" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceN10C6iKp4jTnGJRfjl5MQGxiZSnh9vkBkUfK1RsL1evLC2O-WkYB8AqEUV0THbOztdqXVlaE6rJvEN-sdVPrmcmVc5f15wAumlkT9rvTk5CFieMCrmqgU6rVi1AkSRkRGr4r2l6pwE/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="215" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceN10C6iKp4jTnGJRfjl5MQGxiZSnh9vkBkUfK1RsL1evLC2O-WkYB8AqEUV0THbOztdqXVlaE6rJvEN-sdVPrmcmVc5f15wAumlkT9rvTk5CFieMCrmqgU6rVi1AkSRkRGr4r2l6pwE/s320/1.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<div abp="21">
</div>
<div abp="24">
</div>
<div abp="25">
</div>
<div abp="852">
<div abp="33">
<strong abp="35">I am delighted to announce that Kim Iverson</strong> <strong abp="36">features here today.</strong></div>
</div>
<div abp="37">
<div abp="871">
<div abp="38">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="872">
<div abp="40">
<strong abp="39">As you may be aware I asked authors if they would like to appear in a series to find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. </strong></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="40">
<div abp="875">
<div abp="44">
<strong abp="41"></strong> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="42">
<div abp="878">
<div abp="48">
<strong abp="43">Please find the full interview below:</strong></div>
<div abp="50">
<strong abp="51"></strong> </div>
<div abp="52">
<strong abp="53"></strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
<strong abp="55"></strong> </div>
<div abp="56">
<strong abp="252">Hi Kim, could you tell us what started your interest to write?</strong></div>
<div abp="56">
<br abp="57" />Back in 2005 (at 25), I had my world turned upside down and inside out. I was raped by an ex and I lost my job, my friends, and well, everything. I had been piddling here and there with writing [since 18], but it wasn’t until then that I really grabbed hold of the interest to. It was just something to do to pass the time before then. A hobby, nothing more.</div>
<div abp="56">
<br abp="58" />But then after that very eye-opening experience, I needed something to help me survive, to focus on because I was on the last leg of life in many ways. So I decided then to write a full length novel and with the help of some friends, gained the courage to post my writing online. It was during that period that I found the interest to write. After that, I couldn’t stop. I kept going up and up and up.</div>
<div abp="56">
</div>
<div abp="59">
<strong abp="253">Fantastic! So tell us about your first novel?</strong></div>
<div abp="59">
</div>
<div abp="60">
The first novel that I wrote was the same one I first published. Dark Illusions: The Beginning. It’s not my best work by far, but it taught me a lot about the process and I discovered a love for characters and their lives. It taught me a lot about writing in general. And even how to deal with criticisms.<br abp="61" />Dark Illusions: The Beginning is about vampires who have existed since time began but have always tried to remain invisible to humans as much as possible. They’ve tried to fit in where they could so they wouldn’t bring attention to themselves. Not because they were afraid, but because they know what they’re capable of. There is a man in charge who sets forth the rules, but other clans of vampires have always wanted that position. A woman comes into the mix because of the interest in the rival clan to make her his mate and it sets off a whole chain of events that nobody, not even that current prince was prepared for. It also leads into a whole Universe that I enjoy reading as much as exploring and writing.</div>
<div abp="60">
</div>
<div abp="62">
<strong abp="254">So I understand you are self-published?</strong></div>
<div abp="62">
</div>
<div abp="63">
I’m self-published. I don’t have anything against traditional, but I like to do things myself, and part of what got me started in writing was finding work that I could cater to my schedule, and that never interfered with my life. I didn’t think a publisher would be able to deal with my schedule (it’s a business and they have to do what’s right for their business, like I do mine) so I went self-pub soon after the self-pub revolution began). I take care of an elderly mother and anyone who’s been a caretaker knows: sometimes life gets in the way and people come first. I studied the business long before I got started though. It was important to me to understand what I was getting into. I had information on people to contact to go the traditional route, but my gut said self-publish, and it’s worked out. It’s been hard, but worth it. I worked in Avon for ten years so running the sales side of the business is something I’ve had previous experience in too, which has helped.</div>
<div abp="63">
</div>
<div abp="64">
<strong abp="255">What genre do you write and what draws you to it?</strong></div>
<div abp="64">
</div>
<div abp="65">
I write in multiple genres. I started with short horror stories, then went into Paranormal Romance, from there Science Fiction, Fantasy, and on. There isn’t a genre that I won’t try or something too odd. I’m drawn to them because of the challenge. Every single story I tell is a challenge in itself. Mostly because I don’t know for sure where it may end, where it may go, or what will happen. It’s exciting and I love that challenge. I’m actually doing genre lumps in my publishing schedule currently. I have three SciFi coming out following by two Fantasy before I go back to publishing Paranormal romance. There may come a short horror story compilation in there somewhere. That way as readers find me, they’ll have options.</div>
<div abp="65">
</div>
<div abp="66">
<strong abp="256">How many books have you written?</strong></div>
<div abp="66">
</div>
<div abp="67">
Wow. I am not sure I can answer that. I’ll probably forget some. I’d say I have twenty that I’ve written and are waiting in the drawer for editing. Maybe more. The ones I’ve written that I’ve published are: Dark Illusions: The Beginning, Dark Illusions: The Next Chapter, Dark Illusions: The Final Chapter, Always Consequences, Immortal Separation, Blood By Night, Don’t Go Far, The Shadow Room Files 1-5, Trust Your Instincts, and Hope of the Future. </div>
<div abp="67">
</div>
<div abp="68">
<strong abp="257">Some great titles there! Wow! Who is your favourite character of your books?</strong></div>
<div abp="68">
</div>
<div abp="69">
Gosh, that is a good question. I like these questions, you’re really challenging me. That’s great. You have great ideas you come up with. I have to really think about that for a minute or so.<br abp="70" />I think it could be Kat from Dark Illusions. From the beginning, her world is turned upside down, inside out, and then she’s thrown all over again into the void of confusion. Kat lives in a world of existence where she’s just existing. She lives in a very human world. Go to work, come home, nothing special. She wants to find love.</div>
<div abp="69">
<br abp="71" />Suddenly she finds herself in the midst of a war of vampires where two different sides want her, and will do anything to have her. She faces trials that nobody really is prepared for and has to not only come to terms with it, but find out how to live this new life (new existence really) that is handed to her. She finds a love that feels is incredible and it’s constantly tested. Kat is forced to find a new strength she never knew existed inside of her before. I think she’s beautiful. She’s feisty and individualistic.</div>
<div abp="69">
</div>
<div abp="72">
<strong abp="258">What challenges do you face when writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="72">
</div>
<div abp="73">
Focus is my biggest issue. Things come up and the focus wanes, but not only that, I think I get scared a lot because I figure the writing is going to suck. I relate to Stephen King in that way. I sometimes feel like my writing is shit. [laughs] That really can mess with someone’s brain. It wasn’t until I started to follow and read the blogs of Dean Wesley Smith and his wife, Kristine Kathryn Rusch that I realized no writing will be perfect and to be much easier on myself. I also read something once where a fan praised an author of their work and the author said they hated the work so the fan was impacted. The fan couldn’t look at another book of that author. I try to be more mindful of that. It’s my own issues that see my work that way, but if I’m praised, I know it’s real. They are genuine (I certainly wouldn’t praise Stephen King half-heartedly), so I’m mindful and just say thank you. If someone likes my work, I now just want to hug them like crazy and say thank you so much! It makes my day. I love my readers. More of my challenges these days end up being just getting the computer to cooperate and not freeze up.</div>
<div abp="73">
</div>
<div abp="74">
<strong abp="259">Where do you do your writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="74">
</div>
<div abp="75">
I work in my bedroom. I have a desk in there since I don’t have a separate office. One day I would hope to have one, but for now, it’s just workin’ in my bedroom. I’ve taken to working with the laptop on my bed too because it’s even more comfortable for me and I get less back pain. I’m adaptable. I don’t really have any set place that I’ll work. </div>
<div abp="75">
</div>
<div abp="76">
<strong abp="260">How many hours a day do you write?</strong></div>
<div abp="76">
</div>
<div abp="77">
I write every morning for an hour because it works with my schedule. So between 10 AM and 11 AM you will find me writing. It may get pushed back in the Winter from waking up late, but otherwise it’s the same time. In the afternoon is when I edit, format, market, etc., but occasionally I try to fit in writing during that time too. And if I’m really feeling frisky, I’ll write on the weekends. I know, I’m a bad girl. I always attempt “at least” an hour of writing. If I can’t do that, 500 words a day is my “at least,” but I’m averaging 1500 words a day right now. Sometimes I do more, sometimes less. My goal is just an hour a day of writing and I’m golden. </div>
<div abp="77">
</div>
<div abp="78">
<strong abp="261">How do you structure each story - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter as you go or just write and see where it flows?</strong></div>
<div abp="78">
</div>
<div abp="79">
All of the above. It depends on the story. With Daughter of the Red Planet (the SciFi Horror book I’m fixing to publish soon) I outlined it. More than I ever had another book. I outlined it up to the end. After that, I let the story go where it went. It’s funny because after writing it, while I edited the story, I discovered that I had a lot of places where the details had to get reworked. It’s happened the same for stories that I went blindly into the story and didn’t know where I was going or what I wanted the story to be. </div>
<div abp="79">
<br abp="80" />It always changes for me depending on the story. If I need a little help, I’ll play with ideas, but I seem to work best at just walking on in. The story isn’t as predictable for me too. </div>
<div abp="79">
</div>
<div abp="81">
<strong abp="262">Any tips on what to do and what not to do?</strong></div>
<div abp="81">
</div>
<div abp="82">
The biggest advice I would give is to really research what you’re going to do before you do it. Don’t take the advice of anyone who hasn’t been in the business for less than ten years. It’s so easy to take advice from anyone, but if they’ve been around for more than ten years, then they are doing things to have a career as a writer, to make a living. Not to just make a quick buck. Most of the people pushing their products won’t be around in ten years. That’s how they make money. Have patience and research before jumping into anything. Even in this digital age, things will take time. You may take off right away and then things get slow. Don’t give up.</div>
<div abp="82">
</div>
<div abp="83">
<strong abp="263">What social media platforms do you use?</strong></div>
<div abp="83">
</div>
<div abp="84">
Facebook: <a abp="85" href="http://www.facebook.com/kimsiverson">http://www.facebook.com/kimsiverson</a><br abp="86" />Twitter: <a abp="87" href="http://www.twitter.com/kimsiverson">http://www.twitter.com/kimsiverson</a><br abp="88" />Instagram: <a abp="89" href="http://www.instagram.com/kimsiverson">http://www.instagram.com/kimsiverson</a></div>
<div abp="84">
</div>
<div abp="90">
<strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="90">
</div>
<div abp="91">
I wasn’t prepared for just how great it would feel to slug away at the computer all day and then have someone contact me to tell me how much they loved the work. I cannot really explain just how incredible it is to have people read and love my work. My readers are amazing people. I’ve become friends with a lot of them. </div>
<div abp="91">
</div>
<div abp="92">
<strong>It's great isn't it :) How much do you feel you've evolved creatively?</strong> </div>
<div abp="92">
</div>
<div abp="93">
I’ll have to answer this one a bit through my editor’s words. She told me the other day how far I’ve come in the way I tell stories. And how much depth and richness that my stories have. I think that’s probably the biggest for me. I’ve always been good at telling stories. When you’ve grown up being abused, you learn to tell people a story that keeps you from being hurt again. You learn ways to keep them happy so you’re not harmed. You walk on eggshells. Anyone who’s been there knows exactly what I mean. Stories have come easy for me because of that, but as I write more and more, I really learn to catch the little things, those small details that bring the story to life. The smell of a character, the random piece of paper that’s been discarded on the ground. I feel like I’m getting better at that and learning how to really bring the stories to life by seeing through the character’s eyes better. It’s something that you really only learn the more you keep writing and studying the craft so I know I have a long way to go, but I’m trying my best.</div>
<div abp="93">
</div>
<div abp="94">
<strong>Who proof-reads your work? Who is your editor?</strong></div>
<div abp="94">
</div>
<div abp="95">
Creech Enterprises. <a abp="96" href="http://creechenterprises.com/">http://creechenterprises.com</a></div>
<div abp="95">
<br abp="97" />Jeanie is not only my editor, but she is my first reader because we connect so much in the way we think and I trust her opinion. I have her go over my story in two stages. The second is editing it. The first is when I’ve added all the changes I made in paper form to digital, and I’ve quickly gone through things. The book is really raw at that point and I’ve yet to find anyone who wants to touch a story at that time besides her so it works for me. It’s a preference I have to catch any and all issues then with the story so that when I delve into the next stage of edits, I can really pinpoint the places that need help.</div>
<div abp="95">
</div>
<div abp="98">
<strong>What do you think makes good writing? What do you think the secret to success is?</strong></div>
<div abp="98">
</div>
<div abp="99">
I think the best stories are deep and have layers that can only be found by really focusing on the story. That’s what I love about reading work by Stephen King and George R.R. Martin. They don’t spell things out. They are not light reading. You have to focus on the story to catch all those little details. Depth is what I personally like, and what makes for good reading.</div>
<div abp="99">
</div>
<div abp="100">
The secret to success is simple: keep going. Keep writing, keep learning. The difference between a failure and a success is that the success kept going long after the failure gave up.</div>
<div abp="100">
</div>
<div abp="101">
<strong>Which authors do you rate highly?</strong> </div>
<div abp="101">
</div>
<div abp="102">
I love Stephen King the most. Gotta be my top. Then I love George R.R. Martin, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton, Keri Arthur, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and Anne Rice just to name a few. I could go on, but those are my tops I’d say.</div>
<div abp="102">
</div>
<div abp="103">
<strong>And what book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong></div>
<div abp="103">
</div>
<div abp="104">
Stephen King – On Writing absolutely hands down.</div>
<div abp="104">
</div>
<div abp="105">
<strong>And lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong></div>
<div abp="105">
</div>
<div abp="106">
Practice, practice, practice. Don’t give up. Don’t trust advice from anyone who hasn’t been in the business for more than five years, ten is better. Don’t expect to learn how to tell stories from people who haven’t been writing stories for more than ten years (they have a good grasp of stories by that time whether they learn it or not). Editors don’t know everything and can be disagreed with, it’s your story you’re telling, not someone else. The fans want you to tell it how you would. Learn the rules of grammar and storytelling before you break them. Trust your gut. Write in your own voice, even if it means going against the grain. Discard any advice – including this – that doesn’t feel right. And if you need an ear, my door is always open.</div>
<div abp="106">
</div>
<div abp="106">
<strong>Thank you so much for answering my questions, Kim - a real pleasure to connect.</strong></div>
</div>
</div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-46030691938830476062016-05-22T09:04:00.000-07:002016-05-25T09:35:47.055-07:00REMEMBERING BLOOD ON THE SNOW<div abp="29" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="30" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xsNO41T0o6C7d0r7hWGX923XAOH7xRplvDo7AFYyiq2aZJmO-NOMEdlfafBhHUYNGtaOgyVbqE1YP3RJWmYBXsDffPyKNsR6iKvUC1PWdqFdvyVK2gziOabBcvRQexgIwgGXpMRihlg/s1600/Blood+on+the+Snow+Final+Cover+Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="31" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xsNO41T0o6C7d0r7hWGX923XAOH7xRplvDo7AFYyiq2aZJmO-NOMEdlfafBhHUYNGtaOgyVbqE1YP3RJWmYBXsDffPyKNsR6iKvUC1PWdqFdvyVK2gziOabBcvRQexgIwgGXpMRihlg/s400/Blood+on+the+Snow+Final+Cover+Large.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div abp="29" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="29" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="29" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="29" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="13">
<div abp="650">
On the 1st May I blogged about HEART OF OAK, following a question from Stephanie Moore Hopkins on her own Layered Pages blog about characters in fiction. Stephanie sent over some questions and one of them was:</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="15">
<div abp="653">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="17">
<div abp="656">
<em abp="18">What are the common movements your characters make?</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="20">
<div abp="660">
<strong abp="21"></strong> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="23">
<div abp="664">
A thoroughly good question indeed. So I sat back and thought about that. It was easy, right? Um, no. You see, I never intend my protagonists (I'm talking about the Soldier Chronicles series in general, rather than my unpublished works which stretch from Hastings 1066, medieval period, Tudor and Elizabethan) to be similar or take the same decision or act the same. I want each one to clearly be individual. Right? It's what I wanted when I started to write them, but this single question dissolved my thinking straight away. I feverishly looked back on the novellas - from LIBERTY OR DEATH to the latest TEMPEST - and worryingly considered perhaps there was some discrepancy. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="25">
<div abp="667">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="27">
<div abp="670">
Luckily, even with Lorn Mullone, who is in two of the six stories (so far), the characters do have their own voice, BUT they do share a common theme and I answered with this:</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="29">
<div abp="673">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="31">
<div abp="676">
"England expects that every man will do his duty" Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson signalled from HMS Victory when the sea battle of Trafalgar was about to commence and I think it's entirely relevant to this question. My protagonists are always beset (in some way or another) a task that they will try their best to achieve. It's about going up against something required of them, almost a test, and it could be perceived a 'life lesson'. Will it make them? Break them? Whatever happens at the very start of the story they will have changed by the ending.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="33">
<div abp="679">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="35">
<div abp="682">
HEART OF OAK sees Captain of Marines Simon Gamble tasked with infiltrating the Maltese island of Gozo and capture a fortress all of which is under French control. The story starts in 1799 and by then, a French army under General Napoleon Bonaparte had sailed to Malta, captured it, plundered it, before moving onto North Africa to pursue a dream of a French colony. His true aim was to secure first a base in the Mediterranean and then Egypt, which could threaten British trade links with India (land crossing). After a skirmish moving across Gozo, Gamble's second-lieutenant is murdered by a French captain and escapes to the fortress. Gamble hopes to kill the Frenchman in the assault and NOTHING will stop him. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="37">
<div abp="685">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="39">
<div abp="688">
So when I got to thinking about BLOOD ON THE SNOW, I wondered if the protagonist, Jack Hallam, would do the same. Were there common movements? Would he risk everything to avenge a friend? Risk his career and his friendships? Yes, without a doubt. Despite their physical differences, they are both cut of the same cloth. But that's ok. The two stories are very different and I do try to make each one distinct. There's nothing worse then reading about a character/characters of a series when the story is the same and there is no further scope of development. Samey plot/character gets boring. Gamble and Hallam are soldiers at heart, both good men and they have their flaws. Phew. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="41">
<div abp="691">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="43">
<div abp="694">
OK, so why blog about BLOOD ON THE SNOW? </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="45">
<div abp="697">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="47">
<div abp="700">
I have written about a separate story arc that I would like to try the traditional route with (a publishing dream) and the first of the books is called THE DESERT LION. The Soldier Chronicles started off as backstories to the major characters of that book, which is set in 1801, Egypt, when the British arrive to throw out the remnants of Bonaparte's army. Going back to what I said about HEART OF OAK earlier with the French taking the Maltese island in 1798 and then landing in Egypt, things by 1799 have taken a downward turn for them. Soon after landing Horatio Nelson carelessly obliterated their entire fleet at The Battle of the Nile, stranding the poor Frenchmen. However, numbering in their thousands and still relatively fighting fit, they marched many miles across the border into Syria to take the vital port-city of Acre. Sir Sidney Smith, a rogue and a brilliant naval commander, had formed an unlikely alliance with the city's commander (nicknamed The Butcher for his liking of torturing prisoners in despicable ways) and helped defend the city. This is the action which Gamble was involved in. The French suffering from the plague and battle losses withdrew back to Egypt and Bonaparte secretly left to go back to Paris. By 1801, a disillusioned French army hung onto Egypt. THE DESERT LION begins and Jack Hallam is a central character, a grizzled veteran of the Revolutionary Wars, but what was he like earlier in his career? He has a nickname 'Old Steadfast'. How did he acquire that?</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="49">
<div abp="703">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="51">
<div abp="706">
BLOOD ON THE SNOW is Hallam's story. He has such a presence in THE DESERT LION that I wrote his backstory first (even though BLOOD ON THE SNOW is the third novella in the series) to flesh him out. The story is set during a testing time early in the war at a time when the British army was struggling. Hallam is a lieutenant in the 28th Regiment North Gloucestershire Regiment. I chose that particular regiment because of their action in Egypt and retraced their steps to find out where it was based. I could have settled for the fighting of St Lucia or Gibraltar, but it was during the Flanders campaign that honed the regiment, and some historians believe that it also help design the blueprint of the modern army that ended up in Portugal 1808 and won the Iberian Campaign. Flanders showed where the army was weak with its outmoded concepts and structure.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="53">
<div abp="709">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="55">
<div abp="712">
The Flanders Campaign of 1793-1795 was conducted
during the first years of the French Revolutionary War by the allied states of
the First Coalition and the French First Republic. The allied aim was to invade
France by mobilising its armies along the French frontiers to bully it into
submission. In the north, the
allies’ immediate aim was to expel the French from the Dutch Republic and the
Austrian Netherlands, then march directly to Paris. Britain invested a million
pounds to finance their Austrian and Prussian allies. Twenty thousand British
troops under George III’s younger son, Prince Frederick, the Duke of York, were
eventually tied up in the campaign.</div>
<div abp="713">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="58">
<div abp="717">
Austrian Prince Josias
of Saxe-Coburg was in overall command, but answered directly to Emperor Francis
II, while the Duke of York was given objectives set by William Pitt the
Younger’s Foreign Minister, Henry Dundas. Thus, from the outset, mixed
political machinations and ignorance hindered the operation. The French armies on the other-hand also suffered.
Many from the old royalist officer class had emigrated following the
revolution, which left the cavalry severely undermanned and those officers that
remained were fearful of being watched by the representatives. The price of
failure or disloyalty was the guillotine. After the Battle of Hondshoote,
September 1793, the British and Hanoverians under the Duke of York were defeated
by General Houchard and General Jourdan. Houchard was arrested for treason for
failing to organise a pursuit and guillotined.</div>
<div abp="718">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="61">
<div abp="722">
By the spring of 1793, the French had virtually
marched into the Dutch Republic and Austrian Netherlands unopposed. In May, the
British won a victory at Famars and then followed up the success for the siege
of Valenciennes. However, instead of concentrating, the allies dispersed their
forces in an attempt to mop up the scattered French outposts. The French
re-organised and combined their troops. Dundas requested the Duke of York to
lay siege to Dunkirk who had to abandon it after a severe mauling at
Hondshoote.</div>
<div abp="723">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="64">
<div abp="727">
By the end of the year, the allied forces were now
stretched. The Duke of York was unable to offer support the Austrians and
Prussians, because the army was suffering from supply problems. Dundas was
withdrawing regiments in order to re-assign them to the West Indies. The French counter-offensive in the spring of the
following year smashed apart the fragile allied lines. The Austrian command
broke down as Francis II called for a withdrawal. At the Battle of Fleurus, the
defeated Austrians; abandoning their century long hold of the Netherlands,
retreated north towards Brussels. The loss of the Austrian support and the
Prussians (who had also fallen back) led to the campaign’s collapse. The French advanced unchecked.</div>
<div abp="728">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="67">
<div abp="732">
By the autumn, the Duke of York had been replaced by
Sir William Harcourt, but with rumoured peace talks, the British position
looked increasingly vulnerable. The only allied success of that year was that
of the ‘Glorious First of June’, when Britain’s Lord Howe defeated a French
naval squadron in the Atlantic, sinking a ship and capturing six.</div>
<div abp="733">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="70">
<div abp="737">
The winter of 1794 was one of the worst any one had
ever imagined. Rivers froze, men died in the sleep, disease was rampant, and
the soldier’s uniforms fell apart. It was an extremely harsh winter, because
the army was starving due to the collapsed commissariat. Troops started to
steal from the local inhabitants. The officers were too lazy or indifferent to
control them, and discipline amongst some units broke down completely.</div>
<div abp="738">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="73">
<div abp="742">
By the spring of 1795, the limping British reached
the Hanoverian port of Bremen. They arrived back in Britain, weak, ill and
emaciated. Some never fully recovered and left the army.</div>
<div abp="743">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="76">
<div abp="747">
The Flanders Campaign demonstrated a series of
weaknesses in the British Army. The Duke of York was given the role as
Commander-in-Chief and brought forth a programme of reform. It created the
professional army that was to fight with much success throughout the Peninsular
War.</div>
<div abp="748">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="79">
<div abp="752">
The allies abandoned the Low Countries. Britain did
attempt to undertake a second invasion of the newly proclaimed Batavian
Republic in 1799 under The Duke of York, but it faltered and proved equally disastrous.</div>
<div abp="753">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="82">
<div abp="757">
Notoriously, a children’s rhyme about the Holland
campaign mocked the leadership of the Duke of York:</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="84">
<div abp="760">
<i abp="85" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="87">
<div abp="764">
<i abp="88" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh, The grand old Duke of York,<br abp="89" />
He had ten thousand men;<br abp="90" />
He marched them up to the top of the hill,<br abp="91" />
And he marched them down again.<br abp="92" />
<br abp="93" />
And when they were up, they were up,<br abp="94" />
And when they were down, they were down,<br abp="95" />
And when they were only half-way up,<br abp="96" />
They were neither up nor down<o:p abp="97"></o:p></i></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="99">
<div abp="777">
<o:p abp="100"> </o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="102">
<div abp="781">
<o:p abp="103">H</o:p>owever, there is another satirical verse attributed to
Richard Tarlton, and so was adapted where possible, the latest being The Duke
of York. The oldest version of the song dates from 1642:</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="105" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="785">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="105" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="787">
<i abp="108" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p abp="109">The King of France with forty thousand men,<br abp="110" />came up the hill and so came downe againe</o:p></i> </div>
</div>
<div abp="105">
<div abp="792">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="116">
<div abp="795">
Many officers who would continue to serve their countries
received their baptism of fire on the fields of Flanders. Arthur Wesley, the
future Duke of Wellington, was colonel of the 33rd Foot and saw his first
action at the Battle of Boxtel. The Austrian Archduke Charles fought in
Flanders, as did several of Napoleon’s marshals: Jourdan, Ney, Murat, Mortier
and Bernadotte. The Prussian General Sharnhorst, another great reformer of the
Napoleonic Wars, saw battle under the Duke of York.</div>
<div abp="796">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="119">
<div abp="800">
The Flanders Campaign
may have ended in failure, but the 28th was one of the regiments that remained
unwavering and dependable. Lord Cathcart wrote in his General Orders, <i abp="120" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘‘Whenever danger is to be apprehended and
difficulties to be surmounted, you have the 27th and the 28th to call upon’’</i>.</div>
<div abp="802">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="805">
The 28th returned home
in May 1795, and later embarked for the West Indies. A gale known as ‘Admiral
Christian’s Storm’ sprang up when the convoy was at sea and four companies of
the battalion made it safely to Barbados to assist in the capture of St Lucia
in 1796. The other six companies returned home and were sent to garrison
Gibraltar. The complete regiment went on to Malta and sailed with Sir Ralph
Abercromby’s Expeditionary Army to Egypt. </div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="807">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="809">
You can see what a person was up against during the campaign. Drunkenness, lethargy, corruption and a self-promoting/self-serving drive that some officers had - also in one of the worst winters recorded. I wanted my protagonist right in the thick of it. I named him Hallam from my own family genealogy and he was christened John, but there were so many (historical) John's in THE DESERT LION that I subsequently changed it to Jack to avoid confusion.</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="811">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="813">
I remember writing the opening during the winter of 2008. A relationship of ten years to a girl from Iceland had failed and I was left in alone in the house we had bought together and it was a weekend. I felt friendless, sad, and angry and I seemed to channel that into the characters. It was cold and I imagined British redcoats crossing snowy field. It was not a tight march of disciplined troops in immaculate uniforms. It was a rabble of desperate men:</div>
<div abp="814">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="816">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="135">
<div abp="819">
<em abp="138">It
was dawn in Holland.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="140">
<div abp="823">
<em abp="141">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="143">
<div abp="827">
<em abp="144">Under a blue-grey winter sky, a column of soldiers
marched across frozen crop fields. Snow had fallen during the night, and in the
morning, the world had become a crunchy white bleakness. The wind whistled as
it whipped across the fields, ice hung from fence posts and sheeted the tufts
of grass so that each blade looked as though it was encased in glass. The bare
furrows were hard and slippery, puddles were iced-over, and the men’s breath
plumed above their heads.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="146">
<div abp="831">
<em abp="147">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="149">
<div abp="835">
<em abp="150">The soldiers were from a company of the 28th, a British
regiment raised in North Gloucestershire, and their destination was a farmstead
half a mile away. The feeble sun clung to the horizon, throwing their rushing
shadows far ahead of them like a newspaper’s exaggerated caricatures. The wind
tugged snow from the ground, whirling it in a glittering dance, and straight
into their faces. Most of them wore their thick issue greatcoats, but some were
without winter dress altogether. The British army had suffered horrendously
from the Flanders climate; the men’s coats had literally fallen apart. Some
redcoats had been issued with simple jackets without any lace and facings as
replacements, some wore local homespun coats that looked crude and
ill-fashioned, and some even wore clogs made from willow-wood, because their
boots had rotted away. The unlucky ones, without the winter coats and gloves,
had tied scraps of cloth around their hands and bare feet. The smart bright red
of the uniform had long faded to a dull purple, or pink, and was now so heavily
patched with mismatched cloth that the men resembled vagabonds rather than
soldiers. Their unshaven faces were wrapped in scarves made from common
sacking, or what they had looted and begged along the way. Some had lost their
black round hats, and either wore forage, or simple peasant hats tied in place
under the chin with twine.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="152">
<div abp="839">
<em abp="153">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="155">
<div abp="843">
<em abp="156">Their vacant expressions and sunken cheeks, made dirty
through weeks of campaigning, betrayed that they were exhausted and bitterly
hungry.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="158">
<div abp="847">
<em abp="159">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="161">
<div abp="851">
<em abp="162">The Duke of York’s British and German Army had joined
their Austrian and Dutch allies by landing in the Austrian-owned Netherlands,
and had marched expecting an easy victory. But the French, swept away with
their new republicanism, had turned on them with an unforgiving fury, speed and
superior numbers. Defeat after defeat had left the British fighting alone, but
the winter brought more misery, and they were forced to retreat across the
frozen Gelderland in the fervent hope of reaching the harbours in the north
where ships would take them home.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="164">
<div abp="855">
<em abp="165">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="167">
<div abp="859">
<em abp="168">They had marched for days. It was a struggle with the
roads being flooded, iced over, or left as glutinous traps. Time after time,
they had stopped and waited while a gun carriage, or wagon was shifted by brute
force. Rain and snow fell with barely a break, and the few Dutch they saw
stared at them with suspicious eyes. There were no cheers of welcome for their
allies. There was nothing but marching, pain and cold.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="170">
<div abp="863">
<em abp="171">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="173">
<div abp="867">
<em abp="174">An officer, mounted on a black charger, trotted to the
front of the company; the horse whinnied, hot steam pluming from its wide
nostrils. He looked ashen and seemed to wince in rhythm to the horse’s stride.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="176">
<div abp="871">
<em abp="177">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="179">
<div abp="875">
<em abp="180">‘Damn your haste!’ he said angrily. ‘What’s the hurry,
man? Do you need to void your bowels?’ His sneering comments were directed to
an officer who marched confidently ahead of the men.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="182">
<div abp="879">
<em abp="183">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="185">
<div abp="883">
<em abp="186">‘We’re late, sir,’ the officer said reproachfully. He was
a lieutenant and just stared ahead rather than turn to face his superior.
Flecks of snow dotted his bicorn hat and his long chestnut-coloured hair that
was tied back with a frayed black bow.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="188">
<div abp="887">
<em abp="189">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="191">
<div abp="891">
<em abp="192">Captain Andrew Clements hawked once and then spat onto the
ground. ‘Late? Late for what exactly? You have a whore waiting for you,
Lieutenant? Is that it?’ He had an insolent face, cold and antagonistic. He
held a canteen to his mouth, gulped and then wiped his unshaven chin that
bristled with black and silver hairs.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="194">
<div abp="895">
<em abp="195">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="197">
<div abp="899">
<em abp="198">Lieutenant Jack Hallam ignored the remark. He knew that
the canteen contained rum and that Clements was already drunk.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="200">
<div abp="903">
<em abp="201">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="203">
<div abp="907">
<em abp="204">He usually was.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="206">
<div abp="911">
<em abp="207">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="209">
<div abp="915">
<em abp="210">‘Pick your feet up, Private Tipton,’ Sergeant Abraham Fox
bellowed. ‘I’ve seen Dutch girls who are more soldierly than you are!’ Fox was
a dark-eyed, burly man, and his face was a horror of ancient scars. He turned
to the rest of the company. ‘Pick up your stride, all of you!’</em></div>
<div abp="917">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="215">
<div abp="920">
<em abp="216">‘That’s the way, Sergeant,’ Clements said, hiccupped and
then burped. ‘Onward, you laggard scum!’</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="218">
<div abp="924">
<em abp="219">
</em><em abp="222"></em></div>
<div abp="927">
<em abp="222">Hallam glanced behind; the men marched quietly and
solemnly. They might look like beaten tramps, but the 28th had spent the last
two weeks fighting a rear-guard that had astounded even the most cynical
adversaries and brought praise from the generals. Men may have died in their
dozens from the miasmic fever caused by the swampy countryside, and crippled by
frostbite, but the despondency in the men of Number Eight Company was
irrevocably due to Clements.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="224">
<div abp="931">
<em abp="225">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="227">
<div abp="935">
<em abp="228">The forty-year-old captain frowned constantly as if
everything bothered him. He had dark hair turning white, protuberant eyes, and
such a languid demeanour that he always appeared to slouch. His family was
exceedingly wealthy and owned a thousand acres of woodland in the Forest of
Dean, but he was never one for sharing such personal information, especially to
his fellow officers. A month ago the brusque captain had ordered Private
Wheeler to be flogged for suspected thievery of a pocket watch. However, it
turned out that the popular private had not been the culprit and died from his
wounds, caused by the four hundred given lashes. It became apparent that
Clements had simply misplaced his watch, and Wheeler had died for nothing. The
captain was not reprimanded and that galled Hallam severely. Clements verbally
abused the men, even more so when he was drunk, so the remarks were frequent
and daily. And so by now, December 1794, morale, already strained, had dipped
to an all-time low.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
<div abp="230">
<div abp="939">
<em abp="231">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="233">
<div abp="943">
<em abp="234">Hallam knew the men deserved better than contempt, and
when Clements was indisposed, he personally took command and encouraged and
praised them. The captain had once told him querulously that the ranks were
filled with ‘every deplorable piece of refuse imaginable’. To control and forge
the men into the professional soldier’s hours of monotonous drill and harsh
punishments were relied upon. There had been a skirmish a few days back and the
men had performed admirably; every movement had been a drill-master’s delight
and every command was obeyed crisply as though they were performing on parade
for the Duke of York. Clements paid them no heed. He had sat scowling from his
saddle, no doubt suffering from a hangover, but Hallam had congratulated them and
witnessed a spark of appreciation. It wasn’t much; a tiny flicker of gratitude,
but it was a start and one he wanted to build on.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="236">
<div abp="947">
<em abp="237"></em> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="240">
<div abp="952">
Hallam is young and keen to show his worth, but will not be swayed by men of higher rank or men socially higher on the scale. Hallam is from Buckinghamshire and I was asked once why wasn't he from Gloucestershire where the regiment was linked to as all British regiments had been for a few years. The majority of the battalion would be, but a small minority would have transferred in so I thought that was ok. Besides, I originally decided 'an outsider' would create some tension with men of another county, but that idea was weak when I discovered by years of conflict many battalions sometimes weren't even 50% from the same county.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="242">
<div abp="955">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="244">
<div abp="958">
Hallam might be keen to show that he was an able officer because he wanted to command a company of his own (except that officers of that time - if they had the funds - could purchase the next rank up and had nothing to do with ability at all) but had to have a drive. A story demands it. What else could Hallam want during the campaign? It would be survival, of course, but he also had a reason to live and that was his young wife.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="246">
<div abp="961">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="248">
<div abp="964">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="250">
<div abp="967">
<em abp="251">Hallam was from Wendover in Buckinghamshire and at
twenty-nine was newly married. He had met Isabel at a ball held in her home
town of Lyndhurst, in the New Forest, when the battalion was on standby to join
the army in March of this year. He hated such occasions. He disliked dancing,
had no interest in small talk, but as soon as they were introduced he had felt
his heart strings being pulled. Soon, they had both fallen deeply in love.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="253">
<div abp="971">
<em abp="254"></em> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="256">
<div abp="975">
<em abp="257">Isabel was a thin girl, not yet twenty, beautiful, loving,
and considerate. He absolutely adored her – physically and spiritually. They
got married in a tiny parish church on a beautiful day, just six weeks after
meeting, and just days before the regiment had sailed away. He remembered the
parting; she had kissed him hard, her tongue shimmering, exhilarating and
loving as she curled it around his. She drew back, eyes glinting with tears.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="259">
<div abp="979">
<em abp="260">
</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="262">
<div abp="983">
<em abp="263">‘Come back to me, Jack,’ Isabel had pleaded. ‘Please come
back.’</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="265">
<div abp="987">
<em abp="266">
</em><em abp="269"></em></div>
</div>
<div abp="265">
<div abp="991">
<em abp="269">He had held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. ‘I
will, my love. I promise.’</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="994">
<em abp="272">
</em></div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="274">
<div abp="998">
<em abp="275">Hallam brought out a silver locket from his pocket. It
gleamed brightly despite the morning’s bleak sunlight. He had it made for the
wedding. Inside was a small miniature of her portrait. He touched her softly
painted face with a finger nail. It still felt odd being married, even after
eight months, but it was a good feeling nonetheless.</em></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="278">
<div abp="1003">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1006">
It's all Hallam wants to do in BLOOD ON THE SNOW - to see his wife again. I wrote the tagline to the story ''Fight not for glory, but to survive''. I think it brilliantly summed up what the men were thinking of. I also wrote his desperation for Isabel because I was desperately lonely myself. Jack pines for his love. Love is at the heart of the story.</div>
<div abp="1006">
</div>
<div abp="1006">
Ensign Julian Stubbington was created to be Hallam's 'student'. I wanted Hallam to go through Flanders as though it were a huge lesson for him. Poor Stubbington had his fate chosen when I outlined the story, but his death had such an impact on Hallam that it changed him to become a better officer - one who will listen and teach, rather than ignore and preach. I did cry a little when Hallam realises he has been killed. Both of us suffered from the guilt.</div>
<div abp="1006">
</div>
<div abp="1006">
Captain Andrew Clements - I had a lot of fun writing him. I did work for a manager who was an alcoholic and a lot of the time he was funny, good fun and sadly a lot nicer than he was when he was sober. Clements isn't based on anyone though. He was there for Hallam to topple him and to show what a good officer could do with his men rather than treat them with contempt. Clements epitomises those officers who are instantly dislikeable and those few who were likely to be killed by their own men, rather then the enemy. I fear that Clements would be cashiered for incompetence after the campaign before he had a chance to be murdered though. Good riddance to rot!</div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1008">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1010">
The story ends on Christmas Day and it leaves Hallam even more desperate to reach home, but it was a beautiful way to conclude, one of my favourite books of the series so far:</div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1012">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1014">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1016">
<em abp="1017">He sat back in the chair, sagging slightly, and unfolded
Isabel’s letter again and smiled. It was dated 25<sup abp="1018">th</sup> May, and she wrote that she
was two months pregnant.</em></div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1020">
<em abp="1021">
</em></div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1023">
<em abp="1024">The baby must be due any day now and Hallam could already
be a father, and the feeling was so wonderful that tears pricked at his eyes.
If it was a boy, he would name him William after his own loving father.</em></div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1026">
<em abp="1027">
</em></div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1029">
<em abp="1030">The sound of singing outside the room echoed up along the
street. German voices and they were singing carols. Soft music played. It was
Christmas and he was a captain and a father. A father!</em></div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1032">
<em abp="1033"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1035">
<em abp="1036">
He took a long swig of the brandy, eyes glistening in the
firelight.</em></div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1038">
<em abp="1039"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1041">
<em abp="1042">
<span abp="1043" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was a magical Christmas.</span></em></div>
<div abp="1044">
<em abp="1045"></em><br /></div>
<div abp="1046">
<em abp="1047"></em><br /></div>
<div abp="1048">
<em abp="1049"></em><br /></div>
<div abp="1050">
<em abp="1051">BLOOD ON THE SNOW - Holland, 1794, and all hope is lost.</em></div>
<div abp="1052">
<em abp="1053"> </em></div>
<div abp="1054">
<em abp="1055">Faced by appalling weather and pursued by an overwhelming enemy, the very survival of the British Army is at stake.</em></div>
<div abp="1056">
<em abp="1057"></em><br /></div>
<div abp="1058">
<em abp="1059">With little supplies and ammunition, Lieutenant Jack Hallam of the 28th Regiment must prove himself by leading his company through the full horrors of the withdrawal, where morale is desperately low, and where looting and ill-discipline are rife.</em></div>
<div abp="1060">
<em abp="1061"></em><br /></div>
<div abp="1062">
<em abp="1063">The men must endure freezing temperatures, disease and battle if they wish to see home again, and if any officer can accomplish this feat, then that man is Jack Hallam.</em></div>
<div abp="1064">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1065">
<em abp="1066">BLOOD ON THE SNOW is a gripping tale of honour, bravery and self-sacrifice in the darkest of times.</em></div>
<div abp="1067">
<em abp="1068"></em><br /></div>
<div abp="1069">
<em abp="1070">Fight not for glory, but to survive.</em></div>
<div abp="1071">
<em abp="1072"><br abp="1073" />***** WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLOOD ON THE SNOW *****</em></div>
<div abp="1074">
<em abp="1075"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1077">
''From the very first page BLOOD ON THE SNOW is a terrific page-turner and there's a steadily increasing excitement that leads to an all-stops-out finale. Fantastic!''</div>
</div>
<div abp="280">
<div abp="1079">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="633" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1081">
''David Cook writes with such realism that he is, in my opinion, fast becoming a master of historical storytelling.''</div>
</div>
<div abp="1082">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1083">
''Cook throws us into his most vivid and thrilling action-packed story to date where the sound of musket fire, the roar of cannon, and the chill threat of the French Dragoons, brings the harrowing Flanders Campaign to brutal life in an intense battle of survival.''</div>
<div abp="1084">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1085">
The enhanced 2015 version of BLOOD ON THE SNOW is now available in the FIRE AND STEEL ANTHOLOGY COLLECTION:</div>
<div abp="1086">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1087">
Amazon UK</div>
<div abp="1088">
<a abp="1089" href="http://goo.gl/y8EjXH">http://goo.gl/y8EjXH</a></div>
<div abp="1090">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1091">
Amazon.com</div>
<div abp="1092">
<a abp="1093" href="http://goo.gl/0eFUUS">http://goo.gl/0eFUUS</a></div>
<div abp="1094">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1095">
Amazon.ca</div>
<div abp="1096">
<a abp="1097" href="http://goo.gl/fMrnJL">http://goo.gl/fMrnJL</a></div>
<div abp="1098">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1099">
Amazon.com.au</div>
<div abp="1100">
<a abp="1101" href="https://goo.gl/zgwtWC">https://goo.gl/zgwtWC</a></div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1103">
<em abp="1104"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1106">
<em abp="1107"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1109">
<em abp="1110"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1112">
<em abp="1113"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1115">
<em abp="1116"></em> </div>
</div>
<div abp="280" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1118">
<em abp="1119"></em> </div>
</div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-43960600479193576342016-05-21T08:24:00.000-07:002016-05-21T08:24:01.497-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES WITH EDWARD JAMES<div abp="845">
</div>
<div abp="846">
</div>
<div abp="1156" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="1157" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zEk30Sj1K8AALCc_csyY8q2wf7txurh8XEbzybjicE4cA8I3pIuAPEpjZGmtxfvJuiQlBBA-hRURpwfd_lOWcwiAvW_QfzFAARGSr3PkrG0JEiFL2Dgiec7Fjrj5rTlnhdycO6b8m2k/s1600/IMG_0948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1158" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zEk30Sj1K8AALCc_csyY8q2wf7txurh8XEbzybjicE4cA8I3pIuAPEpjZGmtxfvJuiQlBBA-hRURpwfd_lOWcwiAvW_QfzFAARGSr3PkrG0JEiFL2Dgiec7Fjrj5rTlnhdycO6b8m2k/s320/IMG_0948.JPG" width="261" /></a></div>
<div abp="849">
</div>
<div abp="850">
</div>
<div abp="851">
</div>
<div abp="852">
<strong abp="35">I am delighted to announce that Edward James</strong> <strong abp="36">features here today.</strong></div>
<div abp="37">
<div abp="871">
<br /></div>
<div abp="872">
<strong abp="39">As you may be aware I asked authors if they would like to appear in a series to find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. </strong></div>
</div>
<div abp="40">
<div abp="875">
<strong abp="41"></strong> </div>
</div>
<div abp="42">
<div abp="878">
<strong abp="43">Please find the full interview below:</strong></div>
<div abp="880">
</div>
<div abp="881">
<br abp="882" /><strong abp="883">So tell us about your writing, Edward.</strong></div>
<div abp="884">
<br abp="885" />So far I have written only two novels, although before that there were three non-fiction books which I wrote in whole or part. </div>
<div abp="886">
</div>
<div abp="887">
The two novels are both historical fiction set in the Tudor era, based on stories published by the Elizabethan chronicler, Richard Hakluyt.</div>
<div abp="888">
<br abp="889" />Freedom's Pilgrim is the story of a 13 year old boy, Miles Philips, who signs on to join John Hawkins on his last slave trading expedition to Africa and the West indies in 1567. The English fleet is ambushed by the Spaniards and 200 English sailors are marooned on the coast of Mexico. Miles is one of the few who gets back to England, 17 years later, after an incredible series of adventures. I sub-titled the book 'A Tudor Odyssey'.</div>
<div abp="890">
<br abp="891" />I started The Frozen Dream when I left the Civil Service in 1993, but I didn't get down to finishing it until 2007, when I gave up my consultancy when I knew I had cancer, so as not to let down my clients. It focused my mind, as Dr Johnson would have said. The Frozen Dream is the story of England's first contact with Russia. In 1553 a group of London merchants decide to open a new trade route to China by sending three ships over the North Pole. What follows is a tale of tragedy, triumph and ultimately disaster. Much of the story takes place with a Lapp tribe in the Arctic.<br abp="892" />Freedom's Pilgrim is currently available only as an e-book with Amazon Kindle. The Frozen Dream is published by Silverwood Books in paperback and as an e-book by Kindle and Kobo.</div>
<div abp="890">
</div>
<div abp="890">
</div>
<div abp="1159" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="1160" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NTK9TIMIO7dHk9pPT7b0ZEQYj8PzA0P1uL9zy40KTk-ljxSEbwLwYam5oeUaBQishgq3oaumn336WVuq8S754clHw2fkSqY8icvKjfjhYDDeJwRUHiljMVMyBYj5RK3nC9t8BSa4SB8/s1600/IMG_1045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1161" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NTK9TIMIO7dHk9pPT7b0ZEQYj8PzA0P1uL9zy40KTk-ljxSEbwLwYam5oeUaBQishgq3oaumn336WVuq8S754clHw2fkSqY8icvKjfjhYDDeJwRUHiljMVMyBYj5RK3nC9t8BSa4SB8/s320/IMG_1045.JPG" width="235" /></a></div>
<div abp="890">
</div>
<div abp="890">
</div>
<div abp="890">
<br abp="894" /><strong abp="895">How do you structure when writing a book - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?</strong></div>
<div abp="896">
<br abp="897" />Richard Hakluyt structured it all for me. His Principal Navigations of the English People contains over 120 stories, many, like the story of Miles Philips, taken verbatim from the man himself. I have set out to tell a selection of the stories in modern form, putting in the pieces Hakluyt left out, like all the female characters.</div>
<div abp="898">
<br abp="899" /><strong abp="900">How do you market your books?</strong></div>
<div abp="901">
<br abp="902" />Not very well. Silverwood are very helpful and The Frozen Dream was featured at The London Book Fair in April this year. I have a blog, <a abp="903" href="http://busywords.wordpress.com/">http://busywords.wordpress.com</a>, which features background pieces on my books as well as short stories and even poems and I have a Facebook page and a Twitter account, which II try to use to 'feed' my blog.</div>
<div abp="904">
<br abp="905" /><strong abp="906">Have you ever attended a writers workshop?</strong></div>
<div abp="907">
<br abp="908" />I've belonged to several writers' groups over the years, from the Society of Civil Service Authors to Cheltenham Writers' Circle. Some years ago I went on an Arvon course at a farm on Dartmoor, but I think I learned more about cooking than writing.</div>
<div abp="909">
<br abp="910" /><strong abp="911">Have you attended any literary events?</strong></div>
<div abp="912">
<br abp="913" />I live in Cheltenham so I go to the Festival of Literature every year and sometimes to the Oxford Literary Festival. This April I visited the London Book Fair at the invitation of my publishers. The Frozen Dream won three literary prizes before it was published (from W H Smith, The Mail on Sunday and Silverwood Books) so of course I went to the Award ceremonies. My most gratifying invitation was this April when I was asked to speak to the old pupils association at the school I left over 60 years ago.</div>
<div abp="914">
<br abp="915" /><strong abp="916">What social media platforms do you mainly use?</strong></div>
<div abp="917">
<br abp="918" />As I said I have my blog and my Facebook and Twitter accounts. I've yet to work out how to use Goodreads.</div>
<div abp="919">
<br abp="920" /><strong abp="921">How much do you feel you've improved in the last few years?</strong> </div>
<div abp="922">
<br abp="923" />I think my second book, Freedom's Pilgrim, is the better book and I learned a lot from writing The Frozen Dream, although as it happened Freedom's Pilgrim was published first. I had written a great deal before my two novels, including many short stories, several of which were published and one of which was read on Radio 4.</div>
<div abp="924">
<br abp="925" />As a reviewer for Historical Novels Review I review at least a dozen novels a year, which is probably the best way to learn.</div>
<div abp="926">
<br abp="927" /><strong abp="928">What is your favourite genre?</strong> </div>
<div abp="929">
<br abp="930" />Historical fiction. I have been a review editor for the Historical Novel Society for the last seven years.</div>
<div abp="931">
<br abp="932" /><strong abp="933">Who was your favourite childhood author?</strong> </div>
<div abp="934">
<br abp="935" />C S Forester and the Hornblower series. I know they are adult novels but I read them all from our local library as a child.</div>
<div abp="936">
<br abp="937" /><strong abp="938">Who do you act out the scenes in your novels with?</strong></div>
<div abp="939">
<br abp="940" />Myself. I act them out in my head as I walk to the newsagent every morning (I could have the newspaper delivered, but then I would lose my exercise and thinking time).</div>
<div abp="941">
<br abp="942" /><strong abp="943">How old where you when you first started writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="944">
<br abp="945" />I started writing for my school magazine when I was 15. As a university teacher (I lectured in Social Policy in Britain and America) I produced the usual stream of academic papers and articles and as a bureaucrat (in London and Brussels) and later as an international consultant (everywhere) I lived by writing reports and contributing the White Papers, etc.</div>
<div abp="946">
<br abp="947" />I started writing fiction in a small way when I became self-employed and more seriously when I gave up work after my cancer op in 1971.</div>
<div abp="948">
<br abp="949" /><strong abp="950">What is your favourite thing you've written?</strong></div>
<div abp="951">
<br abp="952" />I think my favourite is still Shoreham at War, the history of my home village in WW2 - Shoreham in Kent that is, not the port in Sussex - which is based on oral testimonies. Several villagers collaborated on this, but I was the editor and main contributor. It was published by Shoreham Historical Society in 2006.</div>
<div abp="953">
<br abp="954" /><strong abp="955">What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong> </div>
<div abp="956">
<br abp="957" />The lone survivor who wins through against all odds.</div>
<div abp="958">
<br abp="959" /><strong abp="960">What scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?</strong> </div>
<div abp="961">
<br abp="962" />My light-hearted pieces are mostly short stories, mainly about my time in Brussels - e.g. An Accidental Virgin and Plus ca Change, both of which you can read on my blog.</div>
<div abp="963">
<br abp="964" />The most poignant episode in my novels is probably near the end of The Frozen Dream, when the Tartar princess, Elena, goes on a suicide mission to save her lover on the beach at Peterhead.</div>
<div abp="965">
<br abp="966" /><strong abp="967">What do you think makes good writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="968">
<br abp="969" />The sense of being there, of seeing things as your subject sees them and feeling them has he or she feels them.</div>
<div abp="970">
<br abp="971" /><strong abp="972">Do you believe in writers block?</strong></div>
<div abp="973">
<br abp="974" />Writers' Block is a luxury enjoyed by writers who have reached the bottom of their in-trays. I don't think I've ever got to the bottom of mine.</div>
<div abp="975">
<br abp="976" /><strong abp="977">Which authors have enthralled you? What book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong></div>
<div abp="978">
<br abp="979" />When my mother's eyesight was failing I used to read to her all the detective stories of the 'Golden Age', Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, et al. They have been an enduring, if often unconscious influence. </div>
<div abp="980">
<br abp="981" /><strong abp="982">What book are your currently reading?</strong></div>
<div abp="983">
<br abp="984" />Currently I'm reading The Midnight Watch, a debut novel by David Dyer about the ship which saw the Titanic's distress signals and didn't come to the rescue. It's a sea story that's also a detective story and it's wonderfully written. </div>
<div abp="985">
<br abp="986" /><strong abp="987">Where do you do your writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="988">
<br abp="989" />I have a little office looking onto the garden in my Cheltenham home. When I lived in Kent I worked in one of the converted stables of our converted Coach House. </div>
<div abp="990">
<br abp="991" /><strong abp="992">Who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong></div>
<div abp="993">
<br abp="994" />Miles Philips, the hero of Freedom's Pilgrim, an ordinary guy in extraordinary situations who muddles through to glory. </div>
<div abp="995">
<br abp="996" /><strong abp="997">Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong></div>
<div abp="998">
<br abp="999" />No, or else historical fiction would be impossible. I must confess that I've never been on a slave-trading expedition to Africa.</div>
<div abp="1000">
<br abp="1001" /><strong abp="1002">What challenges do you face when writing? Are you easily distracted?</strong></div>
<div abp="1003">
<br abp="1004" />Very. I constantly find other things to do, to put off writing - filing, answering email or completing questionnaires. </div>
<div abp="1005">
<br abp="1006" /><strong abp="1007">What has surprised you most about writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="1008">
<br abp="1009" />How difficult it is to find an agent or a publisher and how many unpublished manuscripts there are - even the postman had one he wanted to show me.</div>
<div abp="1010">
<br abp="1011" /><strong abp="1012">What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong></div>
<div abp="1013">
<br abp="1014" />It legitimates day-dreaming, at least to oneself, even if nobody else regards it as serious work. </div>
<div abp="1015">
<br abp="1016" /><strong abp="1017">What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="1018">
<br abp="1019" />I've had several; my first literary prize (W H Smith 'Raw Talent' competition), selling my first print novel at the Bristol Literary Festival, speaking to my old scholars' association about my books.</div>
<div abp="1020">
<br abp="1021" /><strong abp="1022">What do you like doing when you aren't writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="1023">
<br abp="1024" />Seeing my children and my grandchildren and visiting far away places (my wife and I went camping across the Arabian desert last February). </div>
<div abp="1025">
<br abp="1026" /><strong abp="1027">Last question: what advice can you give to other writers?</strong> </div>
<div abp="1028">
<br abp="1029" />It's never too late but it's better to start early.</div>
<div abp="1030">
<br abp="1031" />It's unlikely that you'll ever be able to live by your writing and you will get a lot of disappointment, but it's fun in itself and you meet interesting people.</div>
<div abp="1032">
</div>
<div abp="1033">
<strong abp="1062">Thank you for answering my questions and all the best, Edward.</strong></div>
<div abp="1034">
</div>
<div abp="1035">
</div>
</div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-58069290632296084692016-05-14T01:58:00.000-07:002016-05-14T01:58:07.531-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH LAURETTA AND MICHAEL KEHOE<div abp="14">
</div>
<div abp="15">
</div>
<div abp="221" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="222" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2np0SDLnkDvRE72uQ8NEl8pjlfzRl-7KihMJKS6Y_FdQST-1xStHNgz1d-27dq2GumlIh3YOgnG2ehWKCUvr2L2VmhUdzzNAxLIbroEwVcU18fVxUKXmUS-NzEPo6vlBRErPIcrdKzKs/s1600/MIke+and+Laurie+Kehoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="223" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2np0SDLnkDvRE72uQ8NEl8pjlfzRl-7KihMJKS6Y_FdQST-1xStHNgz1d-27dq2GumlIh3YOgnG2ehWKCUvr2L2VmhUdzzNAxLIbroEwVcU18fVxUKXmUS-NzEPo6vlBRErPIcrdKzKs/s320/MIke+and+Laurie+Kehoe.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div abp="17">
</div>
<div abp="20">
</div>
<div abp="21">
</div>
<div abp="34">
<strong abp="35">I am delighted to announce that Lauretta and Michael Kehoe, authors of <em abp="224">A Dream of Dragons</em>,</strong> <strong abp="36">feature here today!</strong></div>
<div abp="37">
<br abp="38" /><strong abp="39">As you may be aware I asked authors if they would like to appear in a series to find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. </strong></div>
<div abp="40">
<strong abp="41"></strong> </div>
<div abp="42">
<strong abp="43">Please find the full interview below:</strong></div>
<div abp="44">
<br abp="45" /> </div>
<div abp="46">
<strong abp="47">What started the interest to write?</strong> </div>
<div abp="48">
<br abp="49" />Lauretta: I have always been a creative person. My goal in life for a long time was to be a commercial artist. But I have been writing stories for many years, publishing my own fan stories in the 1980s. But recently, Michael and I have decided it is time to pursue our dreams so I decided to write a book and he has launched his career as an actor.</div>
<div abp="48">
<br abp="50" />Michael: As an actor and comedian I have always had a creative side which I’ve had since childhood. I have been writing my stand-up monologues since my early teens along with poetry and short stories. My wife had me read her novel once she had finished and I couldn’t help but add a few laughs and suggestions. Turns out we make a heck of a good team in writing as well as everything else.</div>
<div abp="48">
<br abp="51" /><strong abp="225">Tell us about your first novel?</strong></div>
<div abp="48">
<br abp="52" />Lauretta: <em>A Dream of Dragons</em> is an urban fantasy with a faith based message. </div>
<div abp="48">
</div>
<div abp="48">
“Free-lance artist, Henry Williford was resigned to the single life. When he discovers a naked, helpless woman on a Florida beach, his life changes forever. He names her Anne and is amazed at how quickly she learns to become a woman. Their days are filled with joy and discovery, as together they seek to find the answers to Anne's elusive past, while their nights are plagued by dreams of golden dragons that soon become nightmares of black dragons, fire and death. When a forgotten enemy resurfaces and threatens to take the life of her new love, Anne learns of her amazing origin, but is faced with a terrible choice.” </div>
<div abp="48">
</div>
<div abp="48">
It is dark and intense but with a wonderful message of love.</div>
<div abp="48">
</div>
<div abp="53">
Michael: Naked woman on the beach sounds cliché I know but trust me this is different from anything you have ever read before. Besides, the sibling rivalry between the main character and his sister will make you laugh.</div>
<div abp="53">
</div>
<div abp="54">
<strong>Are you self-published or traditional?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="55" />Lauretta: We are being published through Tate Publishing, a mainline publisher but one that requires that we pay a fee for a publicist and Tate pays all the costs to produce the book. Tate has a very aggressive marketing machine that will help us to get the book out where we could not as a self-published author.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="57" /><strong>So why Tate Publishing?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: Yes, we signed with Tate because of the ability to utilize their marketing. After the frustration of repeated rejections or no answers from agents, I then sent the manuscript directly to publishers. Six publishers were interested in publishing the book but we felt that Tate had the most to offer. </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="58" /><strong>Your chosen genre is Urban fantasy - what draws you to it?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: I can put myself into the shoes of the characters yet be able to explore fantastic settings, people and events.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="59" /><strong>How many books have you written?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
We have two more books that will follow <em>A Dream of Dragons.</em> The second novel will take our characters, Henry, Anne and Heidi, to a planet where there is no sin. When something happens that exposes the world to sin, our heroes will be the catalyst to bring these broken people to the Great Creator. The third book deals with alien abduction and forgiveness.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="60" /><strong>Who is your favourite character of your books?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="61" />Lauretta: It is hard to decide between Henry and Anne. Henry is everything we are as weak humans who don’t always to what we should. Michael provided a lot of the thought process for Henry. Anne is just such a wonderful character with her innocent outlook on a new world and her willingness to give herself totally to love.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="62" />Michael: Without a doubt my favourite character in the book is Heidi. I had so much fun tormenting Henry and as it turns out Henry can give as good as he gets.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="63" /><strong>What challenges do you face when writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="64" />Lauretta: Time. That is our biggest challenge. That and working in an alien world, we are finding it more difficult to build the world, the scenery, flora, animal and even the specifics of the people. It is something we have not done before.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="65" />Michael: The biggest challenge for this novel was taking my wife’s original manuscript and adding to it without rewriting the entire book. In general I have to be in the right creative mood to write or I end up just producing and not writing.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="66" /><strong>Who do you act out the scenes in your novels with?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="67" />Lauretta: That’s easy! With each other!</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="68" />Michael: What she said.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="69" /><strong>What is your favourite thing you've written and why?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: I think the favourite scene I’ve written is the climax of the story where our characters learn what sacrifice is. It was also the most difficult as far as emotional scene to write but it is compelling and rich.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="70" /><strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="71" />Lauretta: I initially wrote the story at my work during down times. Now I write in our family room where we have my computer set up. Michael likes to sit on our couch with his laptop and write.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="72" />Michael: Currently I write in my recliner in the early morning hours when it’s nice and quiet and I’m fresh. I’ve always been an early riser, I am however getting a chair for my desk in my office/studio (right now I use it primarily to practice my singing) and hope to write there as well.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="73" /><strong>How many hours a day on average do you spend writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="74" />Lauretta: Not enough! That goes back to time management. We don’t have set hours – something we need to work on.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="75" />Michael: Depends on the day and how creative my brain is for that moment. I do not try to force it but am becoming more disciplined in setting time aside.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="76" /><strong>How do you structure each story - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter as you go or just write and see where it flows?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="77" />Lauretta: When I started each story, I had an idea as to the final act but let the story write itself. But when you are working with a co-author, an outline becomes a necessity to make sure that our ideas work together.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="78" />Michael: At heart I’m definitely a pantser, writing when inspiration hits and going with the flow. However working with my wife I need to get a background and have notes so I can remain consistent with her original story and not muck it up.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="79" /><strong>Where do you market your work?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="80" />Lauretta: Haven’t started marketing yet but we will be using social media, radio and television ads and different events that are set up by Tate.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="81" />Michael: Right now I carry bookmarks with me and share with everyone I meet. I plan on booking as many engagements the publisher can arrange for me and promote the heck out of our book. Still in the learning stage on that one.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="85" /><strong>What social media platforms do you use?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
(<a abp="86" href="http://www.facebook.com/adreamofdragons">www.facebook.com/adreamofdragons</a>)</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="87" /><strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="88" />Lauretta: What really surprised me was the togetherness that writing with your spouse brings. It has drawn us closer together as a couple and as partners. And I am thrilled to see how brilliant Michael is. It is his creativity that has also prompted his comedy acts. But he really is an intelligent man.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="89" />Michael: Twenty four years together and she just now figured all that out, I find that surprising.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="90" /><strong>How much do you feel you've evolved creatively?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="91" />Lauretta: Oh, tremendously! And not only evolving creatively but doing it the right way but taking classes with Jerry Jenkins through his online guild, Jerrysguild.com. We have also been lucky to have several published authors help us in bringing “A Dream of Dragons” to life, authors like Chris Harold Stevenson, M.A.R. Unger, Shawn Brink and Jeff W. Horton. We are excited to see what happens with the next books with the increased knowledge we’ve gained through these sources.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="92" />Michael: Not so much evolved as I am motivated. I think what really keeps people from pursuing any passion they have is themselves. I just had to get out of my own way and commit to doing it. Believe in yourself and don’t ever let anyone talk you out of doing what you love, especially yourself.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="93" /><strong>Who designs your book jackets?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="94" />Lauretta: The beautiful cover was done by Tate.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="95" />Michael: We told them what we wanted and they nailed it on the 2nd or 3rd try.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="96" /><strong>Who proof-reads your work? Who is your editor?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: We have had the work edited by Chris Stevenson, M.A.R. Unger and Shawn Brink. I had several friends proof-read the book, most notably Maxime Laboy. In addition, Tate provides editorial services and I did quite a bit of proof-reading on my own.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="97" /><strong>Have you attended any literary events? Writer's workshops?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: We went to Rock & Read Las Vegas as volunteers a few months ago and we’re planning to attend Realm Makers in Pennsylvania in July. We’ll have to see what events come up as far as time and finances and what Tate has in store. </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="98" /><strong>What do you think makes good writing? What do you think the secret to success is?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: What makes good writing is making the reader care about the main characters. They must relate, live in their skins, feel what the hero is feeling. If you do not lock the reader in with the emotional arc of your character, they won’t care what happens. The secret to success is making your characters alive.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="99" /><strong>Which authors do you idolise?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: Well I have been a fan of JRR Tolkien since the 70’s. I have also been influenced a lot by Ted Dekker. I like that he is not afraid to dip into the dark with a Christian viewpoint. Then there is Diana Gabaldon and the late Roger Zelazny, both of whom I have admired. I must also include Jerry Jenkins, not only for his Left Behind series but his generosity in helping other authors. I have to say that I am encouraged by the new authors I have discovered, some Indie others traditional, many of whom I have featured on our own author interviews. I am excited to see where they go.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="100" /><strong>And what book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: There are several authors that I admire that have influenced our work. Diana Gabaldon wrote about why such terrible things happen to Jamie and Claire in “Outlander” – that it was a way for each to show how much they love the other. We have brought that into Dream of Dragons so that Henry and Anne must also be willing to give all to the one they love. Also, I was deeply touched by Ted Dekker’s “When Heaven Weeps.” Again, the willingness of the main characters to give all for the other is a strong theme that touched me. </div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="101" /><strong>What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong> </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
Lauretta: I would have to say fallible people who are willing to do extraordinary things for others – even if it means to die for another. Christ says “there is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for a friend”. That theme echoes through our stories.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="102" /><strong>And lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong></div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="103" />Lauretta: Start. Don’t wait for something, don’t worry about how good you are. Just start writing and see what happened. You never know where it’s going to go.</div>
<div abp="54">
<br abp="104" />Michael: I couldn’t agree more, just get it written. Think of it as moulding a piece of clay, you can work it, edit it, shape it afterwards but you have to write it first. </div>
<div abp="54">
</div>
<div abp="54">
<strong>Thank you both so much for agreeing to feature on the Spotlight series and sharing your thoughts. </strong></div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-85708733924294427612016-05-10T09:42:00.000-07:002016-05-10T09:42:01.923-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH SAMANTHA FORD<div abp="18">
</div>
<div abp="20">
</div>
<div abp="228" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="229" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4DDb7_ciyOP5AUU_sXqRLCsV0m0ZjfOBkKXD2j6Mk5_8hOfLQL1iFErW2T1maXbNkvRfO1t4WXjUxia51em6qxKhlDQ_a8jQm4UOdQEd_TigoMcjEmVLvgyWUYj02JBucAG7Kti3y6c/s1600/back+cover+shot+of+me+knysna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="230" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4DDb7_ciyOP5AUU_sXqRLCsV0m0ZjfOBkKXD2j6Mk5_8hOfLQL1iFErW2T1maXbNkvRfO1t4WXjUxia51em6qxKhlDQ_a8jQm4UOdQEd_TigoMcjEmVLvgyWUYj02JBucAG7Kti3y6c/s400/back+cover+shot+of+me+knysna.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<div abp="21">
</div>
<div abp="22">
</div>
<div abp="23">
</div>
<div abp="24">
<strong abp="40">I am very pleased to announce that author Samantha Ford features next in the series. </strong></div>
<div abp="24">
<strong abp="40"><br abp="41" /></strong><strong abp="43">As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. Please find the full interview below:</strong></div>
<div abp="41">
<strong abp="42"></strong> </div>
<div abp="43">
<strong abp="44"></strong> </div>
<div abp="45">
<strong abp="282">What started the interest to write?</strong></div>
<div abp="45">
<br abp="46" />I’ve always loved to write and decided to start my first novel whilst I was looking after a huge heap on the Tanzanian border.</div>
<div abp="45">
<br abp="47" /><strong abp="283">Tell us about your first novel?</strong></div>
<div abp="45">
<br abp="48" />My first novel, <em>The Zanzibar Affair</em>, is about a letter found in an old chest on the island of Zanzibar which reveals the secret of why a woman, with a glamorous but anguised past, suddenly disappeared. Her daughter meets the man who has always loved her mother but who he hasn’t seen for eighteen years. Together they piece together the last years of her mother’s life and his extraordinary connection it. The story moves from New York City to Cape Town and France.</div>
<div abp="45">
</div>
<div abp="49">
<strong abp="284">Are you self-published or traditional?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="50" />Sadly I am self published.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="51" /><strong abp="285">Do you have a literary agent?</strong> </div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="52" />Sadly no. I think I have a better chance of winning the lottery.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="54" /><strong abp="286">What genre do you write and what draws you to it?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="55" />I like to appeal to the more sophisticated read and I write the sort of stories I would like to read. I like stories, sagas if you like, that span a couple of generations and have an unexpected twist at the end, the sort of ending that makes you sit up straight and want to read the story again and wonder how you missed all the clues!</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="56" /><strong abp="287">How many books have you written?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="57" />I have written three novels and ten short stories.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="58" /><strong abp="288">Who is your favourite character of your books?</strong> </div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="59" />In <em>The Zanzibar Affair</em> my favourite character was Tom who never gave up on the woman he loved. In my latest book I like the gentle old retainer, the custodian of all the secrets of the abandoned house, and Tika the elephant the family adopted as a calf.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="60" /><strong abp="289">What challenges do you face when writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="61" />The biggest challenge is trying to write a story with appeal. All three of my books are set in Africa where I lived for many years, and much as I love it, it might not appeal to everyone, but having said that most people can only dream of going on safari, I like to think I make that dream come true by taking the reader into the bush. You have to write about what you know and I know East and Southern Africa, and the safari business, better than most.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="64" /><strong abp="290">What is your favourite thing you've written and why?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="65" />My favourite story is the one I have just finished called <em>The House Called Mbabati</em>. I must have read it fifty times during the editing stage and I still can’t believe it makes me cry in parts!</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="66" /><strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="67" />I write anywhere and everywhere. I always have a notebook with me and can be found scribbling copious notes in some pretty odd places.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="70" /><strong>How do you structure each story - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter as you go or just write and see where it flows?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="71" />I just let rip with the story and tidy it all up later.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="72" /><strong>Where do you market your work?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="73" />I’m not very good at this! I have a large network of friends and I use Facebook – more work needed here I know.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="74" /><strong>Any tips on what to do and what not to do?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="75" />I think an author needs to be very wary of the publishing world, there are a lot of sharks out there just waiting to take your money. I wrote a story about it….</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="77" /><strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="78" />The thing that amazes me is how many truly bad books are taken on by traditional publishers. Writing a novel is not difficult for me but trying to find an agent or published is not for the faint hearted – you need nerves of steel and deep faith in yourself as a writer.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="79" /><strong>How much do you feel you've evolved creatively?</strong> </div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="80" />I have evolved a lot as a writer, I feel more confident now with three books done and dusted. My story lines are much stronger, my characters more emotionally charged, but I do steer clear of too much technology in the story – I stick with what I know – wild animals and unpredictable plots and characters.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="81" /><strong>Who designs your book jackets?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="82" />I do this. I have very strong ideas about how I want the book to look.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="83" /><strong>Who proof-reads your work?</strong> <strong>Do you have an editor?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="84" />I normally edit, edit, edit and proof read my manuscripts myself until they are as polished as I can possibly make them, then I pay to have them professionally edited. It has been quite an expensive exercise but one that I feel is crucial and a good investment. Editors pick up things that seem obvious to the author but perhaps not to the reader.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="85" /><strong>Have you attended any literary events? Writer's workshops?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="86" />Yes. I attended a writing course in Spain a year or so ago with one of my most favourite authors of all time – John Gordon Davis, who was a much loved author in Southern Africa. </div>
<div abp="49">
</div>
<div abp="49">
It was more about actually getting to meet him than improving my writing skills!</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="87" /><strong>What do you think makes good writing? What do you think the secret to success is?</strong></div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="88" />Passion for your subject and your characters, and the ability to make them jump off the page.</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="89" /><strong>Which authors do you idolise?</strong> </div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="90" />John Gordon Davis, of course! I also like Deon Meyer, a South African author, and Daniel Silva.<br abp="91" />And what book has had the biggest influence on your work?</div>
<div abp="49">
<br abp="92" />By John Gordon Davis called <em>Hold My Hand I’m Dying</em>. I read it over thirty years ago and it was so well crafted, so well written, that even today I can remember the names of all the characters.</div>
<div abp="225" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div abp="94">
<strong>And lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong> </div>
<div abp="94">
<br abp="95" />No matter how many rejections you get – never give up. Do it for yourself. Writing gives me the unique opportunity to create a world of my own, away from the troubled world we are confronted with every day by the media. It’s pure escapism and can be hugely satisfying. You can create characters that you love and would like to meet in real life, and as for the characters you don’t like in your story – well you can just kill them off!</div>
<div abp="94">
</div>
<div abp="94">
</div>
<div abp="94">
<strong>Thank you so much for agreeing to feature on the Spotlight series and sharing your thoughts. </strong></div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-52945556580024690402016-05-01T07:32:00.000-07:002016-05-02T02:28:29.180-07:00REMEMBERING HEART OF OAK<div abp="14">
<div abp="624">
<div abp="6">
<div abp="907">
<div abp="627">
<div abp="628">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="19">
<div abp="626">
<div abp="9">
<div abp="911">
<div abp="632">
<div abp="634">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="379" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="380" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvCyvUUHIQwNB8OD53rRQwLV-xG2_Pee5fJhBRf2cfa2b7GdKvv6zxDZ9WTbbqvMYGojFxuVZcmeeVyCf1Cfxb6KX1yNdlpWW6yaRfg1Vx5U2kOSRHs_5B0FUGQ3RTNBtFJSZm9qVazE/s1600/CA_GD_COOK_final_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="381" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvCyvUUHIQwNB8OD53rRQwLV-xG2_Pee5fJhBRf2cfa2b7GdKvv6zxDZ9WTbbqvMYGojFxuVZcmeeVyCf1Cfxb6KX1yNdlpWW6yaRfg1Vx5U2kOSRHs_5B0FUGQ3RTNBtFJSZm9qVazE/s400/CA_GD_COOK_final_1000.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div abp="322" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div abp="20">
<div abp="632">
<div abp="16">
<div abp="919">
<div abp="641">
<div abp="644">
<span abp="920" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="23" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="18">
<div abp="923">
<div abp="646">
<div abp="650">
<span abp="924" style="font-family: inherit;">I was honoured recently to answer a series of questions from Stephanie Moore Hopkins for her Layered Pages blog titled 'Characters in Motion'. Stephanie asked me to talk about the habits of my protagonist and I answered that thought-provoking question by talking about Simon Gamble from HEART OF OAK, the second of the <em abp="635">Soldier Chronicles</em>. This is set during the liberation of the Maltese Islands which see's Gamble and his Marines sent behind enemy lines to capture an impregnable fortress called Dominance on the island of Gozo. The book's title references a very popular military song and the chorus goes:</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="23" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="21">
<div abp="928">
<div abp="652">
<div abp="657">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="23" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="23">
<div abp="931">
<div abp="656">
<div abp="662">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="23" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="25">
<div abp="934">
<div abp="660">
<div abp="667">
<b abp="642" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i abp="643" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span abp="937" style="font-family: inherit;">Hearts
of oak are our ships, heart of oak are our men,<o:p abp="644"></o:p></span></i></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="23" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="30">
<div abp="941">
<div abp="668">
<div abp="676">
<b abp="647" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i abp="648" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span abp="944" style="font-family: inherit;">We
always are ready: steady, boys, steady!<o:p abp="649"></o:p></span></i></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="651" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="35" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="36">
<div abp="949">
<div abp="677">
<div abp="686">
<b abp="652" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i abp="653" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span abp="952" style="font-family: inherit;">We'll
fight and we'll conquer again and again.</span></i></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="39">
<div abp="954">
<div abp="683">
<div abp="693">
<strong abp="40"><em abp="41"><span abp="957" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></em></strong><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="42">
<div abp="959">
<div abp="689">
<div abp="700">
<strong abp="43"><em abp="44"></em></strong><span abp="962" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="657" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="46">
<div abp="965">
<div abp="696">
<div abp="708">
<span abp="966" style="font-family: inherit;">The chorus encapsulates what the story is about: fighting, courage and triumph. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="659" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="48">
<div abp="969">
<div abp="701">
<div abp="714">
<span abp="970" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="661">
<div abp="51">
<div abp="974">
<div abp="707">
<div abp="721">
<span abp="975" style="font-family: inherit;">So why talk about Gamble? Well, I try to make all my protagonists as human as possible. I never make them perfect because that is incredibly unrealistic. Perfection? Pah! In my opinion there is no such thing. I can't stand it when you read about someone who is 'perfect'. It's sickening. And do any of us (who aren't blinded by love or addled by drink) know of someone who is perfect? In our hearts, we don't.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="663">
<div abp="54">
<div abp="979">
<div abp="713">
<div abp="728">
<span abp="980" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="665">
<div abp="57">
<div abp="984">
<div abp="719">
<div abp="735">
<span abp="985" style="font-family: inherit;">Now being completely honest with you, I start by making the protagonist someone who I would like people to have a drink and chat with. Really? Yes. It's that simple. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="667">
<div abp="60">
<div abp="989">
<div abp="725">
<div abp="742">
<span abp="990" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="669">
<div abp="63">
<div abp="994">
<div abp="731">
<div abp="749">
<span abp="995" style="font-family: inherit;">Give them a back story so the conversation would be interesting, but I make each one an individual. No clones. Now Simon Gamble, a captain of a British Marine company, was described by one reviewer as a Richard Sharpe-esque character, which I think is a rather unfair summation. I should be flattered that a character of mine should be of the same cloth as Bernard Cornwell's immensely popular Rifle officer, but they aren't really alike.</span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="671">
<div abp="66">
<div abp="999">
<div abp="737">
<div abp="756">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="673">
<div abp="69">
<div abp="1003">
<div abp="742">
<div abp="762">
<span abp="1004" style="font-family: inherit;">Richard Sharpe is a thief, a murderer and a man thrust into a position he is more than capable of, but some people don't agree with that. He is no gentleman among his fellow officers. He joined the army to escape a hanging, which was a common practice with the British legal and military system of the time. A man gaoled and awaiting death for a petty or serious crime could find himself donning a brick-red serge coat and escape his execution by a magistrate. However, to join the British Army in the period, which the <em abp="417">Soldier Chronicles</em> takes place (1793-1815), he might find that disease would likely kill him first long before a French bullet could. Sharpe is one of the lucky one's to survive skirmishes, battalion volley's and bayonet charges. He is also unique in that he marched in the common ranks as a Private before acquiring a battlefield commission for saving Arthur Wellesley's life at the Battle of Assaye. This act was not unheard of, but quite rare. Richard Sharpe is a true hero. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="676">
<div abp="73">
<div abp="1009">
<div abp="749">
<div abp="770">
<span abp="1010" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="678">
<div abp="76">
<div abp="1014">
<div abp="755">
<div abp="777">
<span abp="1015" style="font-family: inherit;">Would you have a drink and chat with Richard Sharpe if you could? Absolutely. The things he could tell you about what's he's seen and done.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="680">
<div abp="79">
<div abp="1019">
<div abp="761">
<div abp="784">
<span abp="1020" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="682">
<div abp="82">
<div abp="1024">
<div abp="767">
<div abp="791">
<span abp="1025" style="font-family: inherit;">So how could - or perhaps should I compare Simon Gamble to Richard Sharpe? Well, I can't to be honest and I don't. Two different characters. The Sharpe novels number twenty or more volumes and Cornwell has been writing about him for thirty plus years. Sharpe is an institution and Bernard Cornwell is a National Treasure. Hard to scale those heights with just my novella.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="684">
<div abp="85">
<div abp="1029">
<div abp="773">
<div abp="798">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="686">
<div abp="88">
<div abp="1033">
<div abp="778">
<div abp="804">
<span abp="1034" style="font-family: inherit;">The <em abp="418">Soldier Chronicles</em> are novellas and so I don't want pages and pages of backstory when the stories are snapshots of history - the story starts straight away and plunges into action and adventure. However, Gamble does have a backstory. He is designed to be a man at ease in warfare, a warrior-like figure, ruthless, daring, steadfast and because of this, he is disfigured from battle wounds and emotionally scarred. A</span><span abp="1034" style="font-family: inherit;">n unpublished prequel story to HEART OF OAK called VANQUISHER is about Gamble and his marines at the Siege of Acre under the command of Sir Sidney Smith. Unfortunately, Gamble's young second-lieutenant, Bob Carstairs, is killed during the fighting and this leaves Gamble hugely affected by it. </span></div>
<div abp="804">
<span abp="1034" style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div abp="804">
<span abp="1034" style="font-family: inherit;">A few months later HEART OF OAK begins and Gamble has tried to blot out the pain and sadness with anger and a hatred of the French as a race. Misguided? Pig-headed? Careless? Yes, Gamble certainly is. He is flawed. He is wounded and he is troubled. W</span><span abp="1034" style="font-family: inherit;">hen he goes after a captured French captain murders Sam Riding-Smyth to escape, Gamble cannot shake revenge from his bones. He see's this as the point of no return. The Frenchman must die, it's the only course to follow and Gamble will hunt him down until the end of time. </span></div>
<div abp="804">
<span abp="1034" style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div abp="804">
<span abp="1034" style="font-family: inherit;">Two officers under his command dead. Is Gamble cursed? Is he unlucky? No, this is the price of war. It's unfair and heart-breaking. It taps into the feeling that soldiers have when they are in tough situations together. They speak of a bond closer than family. They would die for each other, if needs be, and the letters written by survivors of those fallen 'brothers' on foreign fields (even in modern times) shows the profound affect it has. There is a grief that, in some cases, cannot even be spoken about. Soldiers returning from the battlefields of WWI and WWII, for example, refused to discuss what they had witnessed with anyone. Some later did, but it took many years and it was still painful.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="689">
<div abp="92">
<div abp="1039">
<div abp="785">
<div abp="812">
<span abp="1040" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="691">
<div abp="95">
<div abp="1044">
<div abp="791">
<div abp="819">
<span abp="1045" style="font-family: inherit;">Gamble and Sharpe share a few characteristics such as loyalty to their men, unwavering resolve and a determination to see the enemy defeated. And that's why I decided Gamble would command a company of hard, tough and war-like Marines. With all the <em abp="692">Soldier Chronicles</em> stories, each are connected to another story; THE DESERT LION that I'm trying to get traditionally published. It all sounds a bit vague and forgive me, but until it get's published one way or another I won't talk about it. Call it superstition, if you like. So the connection to THE DESERT LION is the result of Simon Gamble being created back in 2008 when I had finished the novel. I named him Simon after a friend of mine and just wanted a simple surname like Brook, Cutter, Clarke, Savage . . . and then I thought about his character and everything about him is a risk. Gamble. Bingo!</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="694">
<div abp="99">
<div abp="1050">
<div abp="798">
<div abp="827">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="696">
<div abp="102">
<div abp="1054">
<div abp="803">
<div abp="833">
<span abp="1055" style="font-family: inherit;">I wrote his backstory and decided to flesh him out. I described him immediately as ''<span abp="697" style="font-size: 12pt;">twenty-nine years old, average-looking with a soldier’s face;
sun-darkened, harsh and scarred. If you were to pass him in the street, you
would pay him no attention, but if you saw his sea-blue eyes, then you would
see that they sparkled brightly, accentuating his rough exterior to give it an
odd gentleness that made him memorable.''</span> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="699">
<div abp="106">
<div abp="1060">
<div abp="810">
<div abp="841">
<span abp="1061" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="701">
<div abp="109">
<div abp="1065">
<div abp="816">
<div abp="848">
<span abp="1066" style="font-family: inherit;">Archibald Powell, his rough-hewn sergeant was easier to name. I wanted another tough soldier, someone born in England's docks; a typical brawler, and had his background as a man whose father was a possibly Scottish soldier or seaman of the Seven Years War that had stayed in Plymouth. Powell grew up to fight in the army during the war against the American colonists and acquired his unique twin throwing axes after saving the life of a Shawnee native called Blue Jacket. By HEART OF OAK, Powell carries a musketoon: a firearm with a flared muzzle, and a boarding pike. He is a grizzled man, ever-ready for war. All the Marines are.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="703">
<div abp="112">
<div abp="1070">
<div abp="822">
<div abp="855">
<span abp="1071" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="705">
<div abp="115">
<div abp="1075">
<div abp="828">
<div abp="862">
<span abp="1076" style="font-family: inherit;">Accompanying Gamble in this story is his lieutenant, Henry 'Harry' Kennedy, a level-headed and intelligent man in his twenties who is described as, ''<span abp="706" style="font-size: 12pt;">immaculately dressed in his scarlet coat
with its long-tails, silver lace, white gloves and a silver gorget.'' Kennedy is well-mannered and educated, and in a way, is Gamble's conscience.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div abp="828">
<div abp="866">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="828">
<div abp="868">
<span abp="1076" style="font-family: inherit;"><span abp="706" style="font-size: 12pt;">Gamble, an officer, but certainly no gentleman is described as wearing: ''<span abp="707" style="font-size: 12pt;">His scarlet coat and crimson sash were patched
and heavily stitched and he was armed with a cutlass, a straight-bladed sword
of extraordinary ugliness. It had a rolled iron grip, a thirty-inch blade, and curiously
tied to the pommel was a scrap of a tattered silk. It had belonged to his
mother; a parting gift for her young son who promised to return home with
enough money to pay for his father's grievous arrears that had cost the family
their home. A bone-handled dirk and a large pistol were tucked into his belt,
which were also hooked to it in case he dropped them overboard during a fight
aboard a vessel.''</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="709">
<div abp="120">
<div abp="1082">
<div abp="836">
<div abp="877">
<span abp="710" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span abp="711" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><span abp="1085" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="713">
<div abp="125">
<div abp="1089">
<div abp="844">
<div abp="886">
<span abp="714" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span abp="715" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">The scrap of silk grounds Gamble and reminds him of a failure he has to correct. His story arc goes beyond the Battle of Trafalgar, so it's possible he lives long enough to see his family name restored. With any band or soldiers there is camaraderie and this goes back to the bond they all share. It's important to show this even at the beginning:</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="717">
<div abp="130">
<div abp="1095">
<div abp="851">
<div abp="894">
<span abp="718" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span abp="719" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="721">
<div abp="135">
<div abp="1101">
<div abp="858">
<div abp="902">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="723">
<div abp="138">
<div abp="1105">
<div abp="863">
<div abp="908">
<span abp="1106" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'The lads are in high
spirits,' said Kennedy. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="725">
<div abp="141">
<div abp="1110">
<div abp="869">
<div abp="915">
<span abp="1111" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'So they should be,
Harry,' Gamble said, watching the rocky crest above them with his eye piece,
'they know we're about to do some killing.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="727">
<div abp="144">
<div abp="1115">
<div abp="875">
<div abp="922">
<span abp="1116" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'Won't we take any
prisoners, sir?' asked Second Lieutenant Samuel Riding-Smyth, with abhorrence
at the thought of killing all of the Frenchmen. He was petrified and fought
down vomit, which was souring the back of his throat.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="729">
<div abp="147">
<div abp="1120">
<div abp="881">
<div abp="929">
<span abp="1121" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'Oh, Sam,' Kennedy
said, shaking his head with an act of despair.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="731">
<div abp="150">
<div abp="1125">
<div abp="887">
<div abp="936">
<span abp="1126" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'What happens if they
surrender?' Riding-Smyth looked pained.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="733">
<div abp="153">
<div abp="1130">
<div abp="893">
<div abp="943">
<span abp="1131" style="font-family: inherit;"> Gamble grunted in
frustration. 'If you want to take any prisoners, then that's your prerogative,'
he announced, but was still watching the limestone hills. 'Do you know the Frog
word for surrender?'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="735">
<div abp="156">
<div abp="1135">
<div abp="899">
<div abp="950">
<span abp="1136" style="font-family: inherit;"> '<i abp="736" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Capitulez</i>, sir,' suggested the worried lieutenant.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="738">
<div abp="160">
<div abp="1141">
<div abp="906">
<div abp="958">
<span abp="1142" style="font-family: inherit;"> Gamble lowered the brass
tube angrily. 'Fine, Sam. You ask any Monsewer you come across to <i abp="739" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">capitulez</i>. You shout really loud though,
as the buggers will be gunners and we all know that gunners are deaf. You shout
and hope they lay down their arms and that they don't meet Sergeant Powell
first.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="741">
<div abp="164">
<div abp="1147">
<div abp="913">
<div abp="966">
<span abp="1148" style="font-family: inherit;">Riding-Smyth 's eyes
slid to the grizzled, broad-shouldered sergeant who stared back at him intently,
and for good measure, patted one of his axes with a long exaggerated growl. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="743">
<div abp="167">
<div abp="1152">
<div abp="919">
<div abp="973">
<span abp="1153" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'It suits me, sir,'
Powell declared. 'The bastards will be easier to kill if they keep nice and
still. Saves me the bother.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="745">
<div abp="170">
<div abp="1157">
<div abp="925">
<div abp="980">
<span abp="1158" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'I will shout, sir,'
the young officer said zealously. 'I will indeed!'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="747">
<div abp="173">
<div abp="1162">
<div abp="931">
<div abp="987">
<span abp="1163" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'Good,' Gamble said,
turning to his men who were formed up and waiting with expectant faces. The
ball was about to start. It was time to dance. 'Company! Forward!'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="749">
<div abp="176">
<div abp="1167">
<div abp="937">
<div abp="994">
<span abp="1168" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'We're not really going
to kill all the Frogs, are we?' Kennedy enquired as they advanced up the narrow
beach.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="751">
<div abp="179">
<div abp="1172">
<div abp="943">
<div abp="1001">
<span abp="1173" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'Of course not,' Gamble
gave him a sly wink. 'That's why a boat will remain here. I'll send the
prisoners back to the Prince of Waves,' he said, giving the <i abp="752" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sea Prince</i> its nickname, 'along with any
keepsakes.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="754">
<div abp="183">
<div abp="1178">
<div abp="950">
<div abp="1009">
<span abp="1179" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'Very good,' Kennedy
said, then frowned. 'I thought you spoke Frog?'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="756">
<div abp="186">
<div abp="1183">
<div abp="956">
<div abp="1016">
<span abp="1184" style="font-family: inherit;"> Gamble scanned the
grassy bluffs ahead. 'You mean <i abp="757" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span abp="758" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Guernésiais</span></i><span abp="759" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">?' he asked, of the language of his native Guernsey that had roots in
Norman French. Kennedy nodded.<span abp="760" style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gamble's
mouth twisted. 'I understand the words, but I choose not to speak it. It's the
language of our enemies. And I will not foul the air by muttering it.'<o:p abp="761"></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="763">
<div abp="194">
<div abp="1193">
<div abp="967">
<div abp="1028">
<span abp="764" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span abp="1195" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'You truly hate them, don't you?'<o:p abp="765"></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="767">
<div abp="199">
<div abp="1200">
<div abp="975">
<div abp="1037">
<span abp="768" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span abp="1202" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'I hate them all,' Gamble said loudly. 'As every Englishman should. Death
to the French and every goddamn last one of them.'<o:p abp="769"></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="771">
<div abp="204">
<div abp="1207">
<div abp="983">
<div abp="1046">
<span abp="772" style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span abp="1209" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'I've heard that French is the language of love?' Kennedy said with an
impish grin.<o:p abp="773"></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="775">
<div abp="209">
<div abp="1214">
<div abp="991">
<div abp="1055">
<span abp="776" style="font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Gamble laughed sourly. 'The whores don't care where you're from. Just if
you have coin to pay them.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="778">
<div abp="213">
<div abp="1219">
<div abp="997">
<div abp="1062">
<span abp="1220" style="font-family: inherit;"> …<i abp="779" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you shall pay life for life</i>, a voice uttered in Gamble's head. He'd
heard the saying many times since Acre. Too many times now. A friend had died
and the words kept coming back to him. He adjusted his bicorn and looped the scope
over his shoulders with its leather strap, trying to force the words from his
mind, but without much success.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="781">
<div abp="217">
<div abp="1225">
<div abp="1004">
<div abp="1070">
<span abp="1226" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'Why don't we turn the
prisoners over to the locals, sir?' Riding-Smyth enquired, catching up with his
two superiors.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="783">
<div abp="220">
<div abp="1230">
<div abp="1010">
<div abp="1077">
<span abp="1231" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'Because that's a death
sentence,' Gamble replied brusquely.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="785">
<div abp="223">
<div abp="1235">
<div abp="1016">
<div abp="1084">
<span abp="1236" style="font-family: inherit;"> Kennedy fiddled with the
gorget at his throat, a purely decorative horseshoe-shaped piece of metal that
harked back to the days when officers had worn armour like medieval knights.
'As civilised men, we could not simply allow that to happen. Even to our
bitterest enemies. However, knowing that they will be fed whatever Slope the
Ship's Cook can boil up in his infernal copper cauldron is punishment and
revenge enough.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="787">
<div abp="226">
<div abp="1240">
<div abp="1022">
<div abp="1091">
<span abp="1241" style="font-family: inherit;"> Riding-Smyth chuckled.
'At every mess time, I pray to God that He will keep me safe from harm.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="789">
<div abp="229">
<div abp="1245">
<div abp="1028">
<div abp="1098">
<span abp="1246" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'He must be watching
over you,' Kennedy said, 'because as of yet you've not suffered from any of the
maladies that frequent the decks.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="791">
<div abp="232">
<div abp="1250">
<div abp="1034">
<div abp="1105">
<span abp="1251" style="font-family: inherit;"> 'The Lord has truly
been kind to me,' Riding-Smyth replied vehemently.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="793">
<div abp="235">
<div abp="1255">
<div abp="1040">
<div abp="1112">
<span abp="794" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> 'You've obviously not been introduced to the lower
deck whores, young Sam,' Kennedy said wryly. 'When you get back on-board, I'll
have a dose of mercury on standby.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="796">
<div abp="239">
<div abp="1260">
<div abp="1046">
<div abp="1119">
<span abp="797" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="799">
<div abp="243">
<div abp="1265">
<div abp="1052">
<div abp="1126">
<span abp="800" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="802">
<div abp="247">
<div abp="1270">
<div abp="1058">
<div abp="1133">
<span abp="803" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Here: Gamble reveals his hatred for the French, a rage that will grow as the story unfolds. It also brings up his guilt that is plaguing him over Carstairs's death. ''You shall pay life for life'' is scripture taken from Exodus 21:23 and, although I'm not religious, it symbolises an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Revenge.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="805">
<div abp="251">
<div abp="1275">
<div abp="1064">
<div abp="1140">
<span abp="806" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><span abp="1277" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="808">
<div abp="255">
<div abp="1281">
<div abp="1071">
<div abp="1148">
<span abp="809" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">HEART OF OAK is a story of vengeance and discovering just what that entails. It's a treacherous path. Gamble almost ruins his career and loses his friends in the process. Luckily in the end he realises it. There isn't meant to be a moral to the story, but this is close enough I suppose.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="811">
<div abp="259">
<div abp="1286">
<div abp="1077">
<div abp="1155">
<span abp="812" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="813">
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="816">
<div abp="264">
<div abp="1292">
<div abp="1084">
<div abp="1163">
<span abp="817" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="266">
<div abp="1295">
<div abp="1088">
<div abp="1168">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="820">
<div abp="270">
<div abp="1300">
<div abp="1094">
<div abp="1175">
<span abp="818" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span abp="1096" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span abp="1302" style="font-family: inherit;">Sergeant Powell wiped
sweat from his face with a red sleeve, and took hold of his officer’s arm. 'Is
it over now, sir? For the love of God, say it is?'</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="272">
<div abp="1304">
<div abp="1100">
<div abp="1182">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="822">
<div abp="276">
<div abp="1309">
<div abp="1106">
<div abp="1189">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> Gamble turned to stare
at the corpse. Blood flowed out from the body like unravelling strands of red
hair. Gulls cried overhead. 'Yes, Archie,' he said, the sun catching his
ocean-blue eyes. He smiled, relief washing over him like a wave. He fought back
tears, knowing that he had been narrow-minded, obstinate, selfish, and that
blind anger had almost wrecked his career and ultimately his friendships. 'It's
over. It's damned well over.'</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="278">
<div abp="1312">
<div abp="1110">
<div abp="1194">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="824">
<div abp="282">
<div abp="1317">
<div abp="1116">
<div abp="1201">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> A gun banged three
times outside the city, a salute to the French and the start of a new chapter
in Malta's history. A golden sun glowed on Valletta's domes, roofs and
steeples.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="284">
<div abp="1320">
<div abp="1120">
<div abp="1206">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="27" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="826">
<div abp="288">
<div abp="1325">
<div abp="1126">
<div abp="1213">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"> It was a day in
September on an island in the Mediterranean and for now the world was at peace.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1128">
<div abp="1216">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="826">
<div abp="1131">
<div abp="1220">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1133">
<div abp="288">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div abp="1332">
<div abp="1138">
<div abp="1230">
<span abp="818" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span abp="818" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span abp="833" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I really enjoyed writing the story and </span><span abp="834" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I've been asked if I'll do another story featuring Gamble. I'm sure we'll see him and his Marines again in the not too distant future.</span><div abp="1235">
<br /></div>
<div abp="1141">
<div abp="1237">
I have always been fascinated by the Corps of Marines. Gamble just seemed to fit in with them. I spent months researching about the Corps and wrote this piece for the English Historical Fiction Authors website back in June 2014:</div>
</div>
<div abp="31">
<div abp="841">
<div abp="311">
<div abp="1348">
<div abp="1157">
<div abp="1256">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="311">
<div abp="1350">
<div abp="1160">
<div abp="1260">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="31">
<div abp="843">
<div abp="314">
<div abp="1354">
<div abp="1165">
<div abp="1266">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="35" align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<div abp="845">
<div abp="317">
<div abp="1358">
<div abp="1170">
<div abp="1272">
<span abp="36" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Birth of the Corps of Marines 1664 - 1815<o:p abp="37"></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="38">
<div abp="849">
<div abp="322">
<div abp="1364">
<div abp="1177">
<div abp="1280">
<span abp="40" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p abp="41"> </o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="43" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="853">
<div abp="327">
<div abp="1370">
<div abp="1184">
<div abp="1288">
<span abp="44" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1372" style="font-family: inherit;">The Corps of Marines can trace its commencement all
the way to the year 1664 when Britain was at war with the Dutch Republic for
control of the seas and trade routes.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1373">
<div abp="1188">
<div abp="1293">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1374">
<div abp="1190">
<div abp="1296">
<span abp="48" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1376" style="font-family: inherit;">It became apparent from the Dutch success that
infantry units were needed on-board ship what with the increasing use of
firearms. The first recognised raised unit was called the ‘Duke of York and
Albany’s Maritime Regiment of Foot’ and soon after was known as the ‘Lord High Admiral’s
Regiment’. These were infantrymen recruited from the Trained Bands of London
and were the very first soldiers drafted for the roles of marines.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="46" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="857">
<div abp="332">
<div abp="1380">
<div abp="1197">
<div abp="1304">
<span abp="52" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span abp="1382" style="font-family: inherit;">The wholly musket-armed ‘Holland Regiment’ that John
Churchill, later the 1<sup abp="53">st</sup> Duke of Marlborough, served in as a marine,
wore ‘gold’ coats rather than the standard red. Today, the British Marine Corps
Colours are still one part yellow to signify the ‘gold’ colour of their
ancestral coats.</span> <o:p abp="54"></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="55">
</div>
<div abp="419" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="420" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Sw56WuYJrOysWYmvhZgKmc-PiyEZAraz22yEJns9ExnqONk8nRlZO7UbJ_47jFJ7syBqdwIOpSG0VdNjfKkOvFk5gcmDMFfYslUfC3PElEa9bnoQJGZdztAQN4LhtA3Y9g5onQJ8u48/s1600/Marine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="421" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Sw56WuYJrOysWYmvhZgKmc-PiyEZAraz22yEJns9ExnqONk8nRlZO7UbJ_47jFJ7syBqdwIOpSG0VdNjfKkOvFk5gcmDMFfYslUfC3PElEa9bnoQJGZdztAQN4LhtA3Y9g5onQJ8u48/s1600/Marine.png" /></a></div>
<div abp="56" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div abp="870">
<div abp="347">
<div abp="1392">
<div abp="1210">
<div abp="1318">
<span abp="57" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><v:shapetype abp="58" coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
<v:stroke abp="59" joinstyle="miter">
<v:formulas abp="60">
<v:f abp="61" eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0">
<v:f abp="62" eqn="sum @0 1 0">
<v:f abp="63" eqn="sum 0 0 @1">
<v:f abp="64" eqn="prod @2 1 2">
<v:f abp="65" eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f abp="66" eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f abp="67" eqn="sum @0 0 1">
<v:f abp="68" eqn="prod @6 1 2">
<v:f abp="69" eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f abp="70" eqn="sum @8 21600 0">
<v:f abp="71" eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f abp="72" eqn="sum @10 21600 0">
</v:f>
<v:path abp="73" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f">
<o:lock abp="74" aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">
</o:lock><v:shape abp="75" id="_x0000_i1028" style="height: 270pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 139.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata abp="76" o:title="marines1664" src="file:///C:\Users\David\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas></v:stroke></v:shapetype></span><span abp="77" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p abp="78"></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="56" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<div abp="894">
<div abp="372">
<div abp="1418">
<div abp="1237">
<div abp="1346">
<i abp="81" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span abp="82" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Marine
of the Holland Regiment<o:p abp="83"></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="84">
</div>
<div abp="85" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="900">
<div abp="379">
<div abp="1426">
<div abp="1246">
<div abp="1356">
<span abp="86" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From the late 17<sup abp="87">th</sup> Century through to the
middle of the 18<sup abp="88">th</sup> Century there were other regiments raised as marines,
or Foot Regiments converted for sea duty. They fought throughout the War of the
Spanish Succession, and the fragmented battles of the War of Jenkins’ Ear with
notable successes on both land and sea. Once the wars were over, the units
returned to their land roles.<o:p abp="89"></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="90" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="906">
<div abp="386">
<div abp="1434">
<div abp="1255">
<div abp="1366">
<span abp="92" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Corps of Marines, the infantry fighting element of
the Royal Navy, were formed on 5<sup abp="93">th</sup> April, 1755. There were fifty
companies in three Marine Divisions; headquartered at the major ports of Chatham,
Portsmouth and Plymouth under the command each of a colonel commandant. Horatio
Nelson was Chatham’s colonel in 1795.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="90" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="910">
<div abp="391">
<div abp="1440">
<div abp="1262">
<div abp="1374">
<span abp="92" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="96" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="913">
<div abp="395">
<div abp="1445">
<div abp="1268">
<div abp="1381">
<span abp="97" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The marines went on to serve with distinction during
the American War of Independence, especially at Battle of Bunker Hill, where
they were marked for their ‘cool ability under fire’.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="100" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="916">
<div abp="399">
<div abp="1450">
<div abp="1274">
<div abp="1388">
<span abp="101" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Regularly enlisted like the Army, and not by impressment (press-ganged as some myths dictate) they primarily provided the Royal Navy with a force of troops that could fight on land as infantry, of manning the ships guns, acting as marksmen against enemy crews and for close quarter boarding action at sea.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1452">
<div abp="1277">
<div abp="1392">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1453">
<div abp="1279">
<div abp="1395">
Their secondary function was to supress mutiny among the seamen. In fact, their quarters always separated the RN officers’ and sailor quarters. They ensured security details and supported discipline of the crews. The ratio of marines on-board each ship was generally at a ratio of one marine per ship gun.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="405" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="1456">
<div abp="1282">
<div abp="1399">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="511" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkrPfJqUVif8_YOt0W_l6K6yLZM92K3l9iNFb0keeHy5i8m423Nx6g9fRW8Ki7r1CdJsGfxv2rBVDYSYuFL3ddLW_6-PD2OQJryched298dUeWT_ymGI831sseB8g3D4Uns47mTj5oeI/s1600/marine+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="512" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkrPfJqUVif8_YOt0W_l6K6yLZM92K3l9iNFb0keeHy5i8m423Nx6g9fRW8Ki7r1CdJsGfxv2rBVDYSYuFL3ddLW_6-PD2OQJryched298dUeWT_ymGI831sseB8g3D4Uns47mTj5oeI/s320/marine+3.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="1877" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="1878" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZxAzgk1dYl-BtBzg4MKj_hyphenhyphenlC_rfvEmJs4iO2gTCm4EfYjgRuM93WrAL8KLVWaYvo22ZxRzm6bUbwePC_o-fkU0ksW4NZoWcJsxYRm_JGkI4TltHlcudNJj41Xa-DzZfMUhdrpuWpsw/s1600/Marine+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="1879" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZxAzgk1dYl-BtBzg4MKj_hyphenhyphenlC_rfvEmJs4iO2gTCm4EfYjgRuM93WrAL8KLVWaYvo22ZxRzm6bUbwePC_o-fkU0ksW4NZoWcJsxYRm_JGkI4TltHlcudNJj41Xa-DzZfMUhdrpuWpsw/s320/Marine+2.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em abp="424">Marine officers during the War of Independence</em></div>
<div abp="510" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div abp="122">
</div>
<div abp="123" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="947">
<div abp="428">
<div abp="1485">
<div abp="1302">
<div abp="1420">
<span abp="129" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p abp="130">After the Act of Union was passed in 1801, which incorporated Ireland into the United Kingdom, there was an influx of Irish volunteers. After 1805 nearly ten percent of each company were comprised of foreigners, mainly Maltese, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Each company on paper was to comprise one captain, two first lieutenants, two second lieutenants, eight sergeants, eight corporals, six drummers and one hundred and forty privates. Each Marine Division also had a grenadier and a light company, but they were abolished in 1804. With disease, shortages and battle-caused deaths, it was highly unlikely that the paper figures were ever met. The marine companies were dispersed throughout the fleet and where needed on land.</o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="123" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="432">
<div abp="1490">
<div abp="1308">
<div abp="1427">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="433">
<div abp="1492">
<div abp="1311">
<div abp="1431">
The marines had their uniforms supplied by the Navy Board, but their dress was that of the infantry. They wore the red coat, with white collar and cuffs. Plumes were the standard colours, white-over-red for battalion companies, green for the light and white for the grenadiers. Officers wore scarlet coats, with white lace and white gloves. Gorgets, worn at the throat, were purely decorative horseshoe shaped pieces of metal that harked back to the days when officers had worn armour like medieval knights. Officer’s carried straight bladed cutlasses with a thirty-two inch blade, a pistol and most commonly a dirk. The marine privates were armed with the Sea Service Brown Bess muskets and the sergeants carried halberds, and then later spontoons or half-pikes.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="131">
</div>
<div abp="513" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="514" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4pgPxk1CzLljMpm51HuibXMvTYr19fHSslJ6d-TnonvImBO036AiVTNvYEYUpJWaNXvJzZFM1UvEmRI-eEvY0b8MQ5t_H4fZG7KgpmvGBl1aVgdUGSSDoxukcAnTxuD221LCGmUU_Xw/s1600/Marine4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="515" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4pgPxk1CzLljMpm51HuibXMvTYr19fHSslJ6d-TnonvImBO036AiVTNvYEYUpJWaNXvJzZFM1UvEmRI-eEvY0b8MQ5t_H4fZG7KgpmvGBl1aVgdUGSSDoxukcAnTxuD221LCGmUU_Xw/s1600/Marine4.png" /></a></div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div abp="959">
<div abp="440">
<div abp="1500">
<div abp="1320">
<div abp="1441">
<span abp="136" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p abp="137"></o:p></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<div abp="963">
<div abp="445">
<div abp="1506">
<div abp="1327">
<div abp="1449">
<span abp="193" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p abp="195"><em abp="448">Marines fighting during ship-to-ship battles</em></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="963">
<div abp="450">
<div abp="1512">
<div abp="1334">
<div abp="1457">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="452">
<div abp="1515">
<div abp="1338">
<div abp="1462">
<span abp="1339" style="font-family: inherit;">The marines were nicknamed by the sailors ‘lobsters’ because of the red woollen coat, and ‘bootnecks’, a semi-derogatory term derived from the dark leather 'stock' worn round the neck inside the collar which forced a soldier to keep his head up. "Take my sea boots off your neck”, was a saying to imply the marines were wearing a piece of leather cut from the sailors footwear.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="454">
<div abp="1518">
<div abp="1343">
<div abp="1468">
<span abp="1344" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="455">
<div abp="1520">
<div abp="1347">
<div abp="1473">
<span abp="1348" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1802, largely at the recommendation of Admiral John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, the marines were re-titled ‘Royal Marines’ by King George III for services to their country:</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="457">
<div abp="1523">
<div abp="1352">
<div abp="1479">
<span abp="1353" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="458">
<div abp="1525">
<div abp="1356">
<div abp="1484">
<em abp="459"><span abp="1358" style="font-family: inherit;">“In order to mark his approbation of the very meritorious conduct of the Marines during the late war, His Majesty has been graciously pleased to direct that in future the corps shall be called the Royal Marines.”</span></em></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="461">
<div abp="1529">
<div abp="1362">
<div abp="1491">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="462">
<div abp="1531">
<div abp="1365">
<div abp="1495">
<span abp="1366" style="font-family: inherit;">The white facings (collars and cuffs) were given a royal makeover, changing to ‘Royal Blue’. The bicorn was replaced by the black ‘round-hat’ made of felt, but the red coat was retained.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="464">
<div abp="1534">
<div abp="1370">
<div abp="1501">
<span abp="1371" style="font-family: inherit;">The Royal Marine Artillery (RMA) was formed in 1804 to man bomb vessels. They wore blue tunics of the Royal Artillery and nicknamed ‘un-boiled lobsters’ or ‘blue marines’.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="466">
<div abp="1537">
<div abp="1375">
<div abp="1507">
<span abp="1376" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1805, a fourth Marine Division was created at Woolwich and by the end of that year the corps numbered thirty thousand, the largest it ever saw during the Peninsular War.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="468">
<div abp="1540">
<div abp="1380">
<div abp="1513">
<span abp="1381" style="font-family: inherit;">The Corps of Colonial Marines were two units raised in 1808 from former American slaves for British service. They were created at different times and both disbanded after the wars. They were recruited to address the shortage of military manpower in the Caribbean. The locally-recruited men were less susceptible to tropical illnesses than were troops sent from Britain and knew the terrain. The Corps followed the practice of the British Army's West India Regiments in recruiting escaped slaves as soldiers, but were loathed to view themselves as mere ‘slave soldiers’. They were free men and they represented a psychological threat to the slave-owning American society by being armed. They were highly thought of and as competent as their European comrades. They also received free land grants in Canada in return for their commendable service, achieving freedom in which the 'Land of Liberty' had denied them.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="470">
<div abp="1543">
<div abp="1385">
<div abp="1519">
<span abp="1386" style="font-family: inherit;">Three additional Marine Battalions (numbered 1-3) were raised from among the Royal Marines specifically for action in Portugal, Northern Spain, the Invasion of France, the Netherlands, North America and the Caribbean. They were disbanded in 1815.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="472">
<div abp="1546">
<div abp="1390">
<div abp="1525">
<span abp="1391" style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, the Royal Marines were present in every major sea battle: St Vincent, Camperdown, the Nile, Copenhagen, Trafalgar, the Dardanelles, Cape Lissa and Aix Roads. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="474">
<div abp="1549">
<div abp="1395">
<div abp="1531">
<span abp="1396" style="font-family: inherit;">They always formed part of any cutting out excursion - seizing an enemy ship by using their ships' boats and taking it from its anchorage by boarding it. They were used in amphibious landings and in 1812, helped disrupt coastal traffic, captured several towns, particularly Santander, and tied up the French Army of the North by not allowing it to reinforce the French Army of Portugal, which was then subsequently defeated at Salamanca. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="476">
<div abp="1552">
<div abp="1400">
<div abp="1537">
<span abp="1401" style="font-family: inherit;">During the Hundred Days Campaign, a RMA company was garrisoned (amongst others) at Ostend to protect Wellington’s rear in the event that the allies would have lost against Napoleon, and would had to retreat to the ports.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="478">
<div abp="1555">
<div abp="1405">
<div abp="1543">
<span abp="1406" style="font-family: inherit;">After 1815, the Royal Marines would serve its country again around the globe in many actions. However, it was during the wars of 1793-1815 that the force encapsulated the code and spirit of the great fighting force that today is revered throughout the world.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="132" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="480">
<div abp="1558">
<div abp="1410">
<div abp="1549">
<span abp="1411" style="font-family: inherit;">In 2014, the Corps celebrated its 350th anniversary by completing a series of global physical challenges in honour to their proud heritage.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1035">
<div abp="484">
<div abp="1563">
<div abp="1417">
<div abp="1557">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="593" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="594" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vtgCk1pLpE4aCByCh15k4cpuBEQKHgTFKwtu6qZIPQGJMtprIYcX2RxLL2xWwL0dQ5-Q56xkoDWlAYqG4g7sYFFAPfiJyc4xs4Ukaec70mnmBfCBX7P8m9XmCbH6s95Btm83z7ku_XA/s1600/marine5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="595" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vtgCk1pLpE4aCByCh15k4cpuBEQKHgTFKwtu6qZIPQGJMtprIYcX2RxLL2xWwL0dQ5-Q56xkoDWlAYqG4g7sYFFAPfiJyc4xs4Ukaec70mnmBfCBX7P8m9XmCbH6s95Btm83z7ku_XA/s1600/marine5.jpg" /></a></div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1040">
<div abp="490">
<div abp="1570">
<div abp="1425">
<div abp="1566">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1042">
<div abp="493">
<div abp="1574">
<div abp="1430">
<div abp="1572">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196" style="text-align: center;">
<div abp="1044">
<div abp="496">
<div abp="1578">
<div abp="1435">
<div abp="1578">
<i abp="1045" style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span abp="1046" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">UK stamp released in 2009<o:p abp="1048"></o:p></span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1051">
<div abp="503">
<div abp="1586">
<div abp="1444">
<div abp="1588">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053">
<div abp="505">
<div abp="1589">
<div abp="1448">
<div abp="1593">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="507">
<div abp="1592">
<div abp="1452">
<div abp="1598">
<span abp="1453" style="font-family: inherit;">HEART OF OAK - It is December, 1799, and Captain of Marines Simon Gamble has been sent behind enemy lines to capture an impregnable fortress called Dominance on the Maltese island of Gozo.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="509">
<div abp="1595">
<div abp="1457">
<div abp="1604">
<span abp="1458" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="511">
<div abp="1598">
<div abp="1462">
<div abp="1610">
<span abp="1463" style="font-family: inherit;">Gamble must lead his lightly-armed men against the prime veteran soldiers of France, in a daring and brutal fight where there can only be one winner. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="513">
<div abp="1601">
<div abp="1467">
<div abp="1616">
<span abp="1468" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="515">
<div abp="1604">
<div abp="1472">
<div abp="1622">
<span abp="1473" style="font-family: inherit;">Success means freedom for the Gozitans from their French oppressors; failure means the marines face an unmarked grave on foreign soil.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="517">
<div abp="1607">
<div abp="1477">
<div abp="1628">
<span abp="1478" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="519">
<div abp="1610">
<div abp="1482">
<div abp="1634">
<span abp="1483" style="font-family: inherit;">A hero and a soldier to some, but certainly no gentleman, Gamble; battle-scarred and haunted by the horrific bloodshed at the Siege of Acre prior to this mission, must fight a new guileful enemy, even if the price means death or dishonour.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="521">
<div abp="1613">
<div abp="1487">
<div abp="1640">
<span abp="1488" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="523">
<div abp="1616">
<div abp="1492">
<div abp="1646">
<span abp="1493" style="font-family: inherit;">This is Gamble's toughest fight yet, and one he knows he cannot afford to fail.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="525">
<div abp="1619">
<div abp="1497">
<div abp="1652">
<span abp="1498" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="529">
<div abp="1625">
<div abp="1502">
<div abp="1658">
<span abp="1503" style="font-family: inherit;">For the ultimate battle will be for revenge.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="531">
<div abp="1628">
<div abp="1507">
<div abp="1664">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="533">
<div abp="1631">
<div abp="1511">
<div abp="1669">
<span abp="1512" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: justify;">
<div abp="537">
<div abp="1637">
<div abp="1516">
<div abp="1675">
<span abp="1517" style="font-family: inherit;">The enhanced 2015 version of HEART OF OAK is now available in the FIRE AND STEEL ANTHOLOGY COLLECTION:</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053">
<div abp="539">
<div abp="1640">
<div abp="1521">
<div abp="1681">
<span abp="1522" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="541">
<div abp="1643">
<div abp="1526">
<div abp="1687">
<span abp="1527" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="543">
<div abp="1646">
<div abp="1531">
<div abp="1693">
<span abp="1532" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon UK</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="545">
<div abp="1649">
<div abp="1536">
<div abp="1699">
<span abp="1537" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="547">
<div abp="1652">
<div abp="1541">
<div abp="1705">
<a abp="548" href="http://goo.gl/xyUP7t"><span abp="1543" style="font-family: inherit;">http://goo.gl/xyUP7t</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="550">
<div abp="1656">
<div abp="1547">
<div abp="1712">
<span abp="1548" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="552">
<div abp="1659">
<div abp="1552">
<div abp="1718">
<span abp="1553" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon.COM</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="554">
<div abp="1662">
<div abp="1557">
<div abp="1724">
<span abp="1558" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="556">
<div abp="1665">
<div abp="1562">
<div abp="1730">
<a abp="557" href="http://goo.gl/0M0nV2"><span abp="1564" style="font-family: inherit;">http://goo.gl/0M0nV2</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="559">
<div abp="1669">
<div abp="1568">
<div abp="1737">
<span abp="1569" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="561">
<div abp="1672">
<div abp="1573">
<div abp="1743">
<span abp="1574" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon.CA</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="563">
<div abp="1675">
<div abp="1578">
<div abp="1749">
<span abp="1579" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="565">
<div abp="1678">
<div abp="1583">
<div abp="1755">
<a abp="566" href="https://goo.gl/xhiFYN"><span abp="1585" style="font-family: inherit;">https://goo.gl/xhiFYN</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="568">
<div abp="1682">
<div abp="1589">
<div abp="1762">
<span abp="1590" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="570">
<div abp="1685">
<div abp="1594">
<div abp="1768">
<span abp="1595" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon.AUS</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="572">
<div abp="1688">
<div abp="1599">
<div abp="1774">
<span abp="1600" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="574">
<div abp="1691">
<div abp="1604">
<div abp="1780">
<a abp="575" href="https://goo.gl/Zq7Q8U"><span abp="1606" style="font-family: inherit;">https://goo.gl/Zq7Q8U</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053" style="text-align: left;">
<div abp="577">
<div abp="1695">
<div abp="1610">
<div abp="1787">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="578">
<div abp="1697">
<div abp="1613">
<div abp="1791">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;"></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053">
<div abp="581">
<div abp="1701">
<div abp="1618">
<div abp="1797">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="583">
<div abp="1704">
<div abp="1622">
<div abp="1802">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053">
<div abp="196">
</div>
<div abp="587">
<div abp="1709">
<div abp="1628">
<div abp="1809">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="588">
<div abp="1711">
<div abp="1631">
<div abp="1813">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;"><o:p abp="1095"></o:p></span><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1053">
<div abp="592">
<div abp="1716">
<div abp="1637">
<div abp="1820">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
</div>
<div abp="1125" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div abp="1126">
<div abp="597">
<div abp="1722">
<div abp="1644">
<div abp="1828">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;"><span abp="1127" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"></span> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1129" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div abp="1130">
<div abp="602">
<div abp="1728">
<div abp="1651">
<div abp="1836">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;"><span abp="1131" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><o:p abp="1132"></o:p></span> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
</div>
<div abp="607">
<div abp="1734">
<div abp="1658">
<div abp="1844">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1135">
<div abp="610">
<div abp="1738">
<div abp="1663">
<div abp="1850">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="612">
<div abp="1741">
<div abp="1667">
<div abp="1855">
<span abp="1094" style="color: black;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="1136">
<div abp="615">
<div abp="1745">
<div abp="1672">
<div abp="1861">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1138">
<div abp="618">
<div abp="1749">
<div abp="1677">
<div abp="1867">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
</div>
<div abp="1140" style="margin: 0cm 2.85pt 0pt 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<div abp="1141">
<div abp="622">
<div abp="1754">
<div abp="1683">
<div abp="1874">
<span abp="1142" style="color: black;"><o:p abp="1143"></o:p></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1146">
<div abp="628">
<div abp="1761">
<div abp="1691">
<div abp="1883">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1148">
<div abp="631">
<div abp="1765">
<div abp="1696">
<div abp="1889">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div abp="196">
<div abp="1150">
<div abp="634">
<div abp="1769">
<div abp="1701">
<div abp="1895">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-15751221882441794192016-04-26T01:48:00.005-07:002016-04-26T01:48:58.809-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH BARBARA LONGLEY<div abp="14">
</div>
<div abp="19">
</div>
<div abp="172" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="173" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e7BSO8XqNpE_EYWsOBksbBPQHzz4bF1Lc6dNeg7EGDJ6wBMIvKfXqg9jd0tTAyzF2_-L-RJ0-UE1Pr-xDvDY7dU_DHrD7r2Gwse5WDdfvM0vaO2eJGbsLAyRaeTfDRzYTa2D-Dgg1pk/s1600/12291271_10206884047633552_3091769345813600071_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="174" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e7BSO8XqNpE_EYWsOBksbBPQHzz4bF1Lc6dNeg7EGDJ6wBMIvKfXqg9jd0tTAyzF2_-L-RJ0-UE1Pr-xDvDY7dU_DHrD7r2Gwse5WDdfvM0vaO2eJGbsLAyRaeTfDRzYTa2D-Dgg1pk/s400/12291271_10206884047633552_3091769345813600071_o.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
<div abp="20">
</div>
<div abp="23">
</div>
<div abp="24">
</div>
<div abp="39">
<strong abp="40">I am very pleased to announce that author Barbara Longley features next in the series. <br abp="41" /></strong><strong abp="43">As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br abp="44" /><br abp="45" /><strong abp="46">Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong></div>
<div abp="39">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong>What started the interest to write?</strong><br />I have always used writing as a way to process what is going on in my world, including some really ghastly, angsty adolescent poetry regarding unrequited love, etc. etc. I decided to try my hand at writing fictional novels in 2005. Of course I thought it would be easy. Not so much. Ha!</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Tell us about your first novel?</strong><br />I had intended my first novel, Until September, to be a modern day version of Jane Eyre. I wrote the first draft entirely on yellow legal pads, because I didn’t own a computer. Once I finally bought a computer, I word processed the entire 300 page manuscript onto the computer, printed it out and began submitting to agents and publishers. When that went nowhere, I decided to take a class at The Loft, a literary centre in Minneapolis, MN (U.S.)—a class that required students already had a finished manuscript. After two weeks, my 300 page masterpiece was reduced to 185 pages. The rest was total crap. So . . . I learned my craft and eventually deleted Until September from my hard drive. Everything about my first novel sucked. Talk about purple prose!</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />I am traditionally published, but hope to become a hybrid author at some point, like . . . when I catch a break in contract deadlines. (Not a bad problem to have.)</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Do you have a literary agent?</strong><br />I do. I’m represented by the amazing Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Do you have a publishing contract?</strong> <br />I’m on the last book in a three book deal with Amazon Publishing’s Montlake Romance. The tale from there to here is a long one. My first book came out in 2011 with an e-book only publisher. I did not have an agent at the time, and I was quite naive. My experience with that e-publisher was less than satisfactory, and I realized I needed an industry professional in my corner. I realize some writers can do everything on their own quite successfully, and I admire those individuals. I cannot be that person. So, I began the agent search and was very fortunate to sing with Nalini. Within four months we had a six book deal with Montlake, and I’ve been with them ever since.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>What genre do you write and what draws you to it?</strong><br />I write contemporary romance, Celtic fantasy romance, and romantic comedy. Why so many genres you ask?? Because to write only one genre would eventually bore me, and a bored writer is going to write boring stories. I have to switch it up. I’m drawn to Celtic fantasy because I’ve always loved Celtic myths and legends, and those ancient tales provide an endless supply of muse fodder. Contemporaries draw me because, like in the past, I process what is going on in the world around me through my writing. I’m not always happy about how things turn out in real live, but when I write? I am the goddess of my imaginary universe. Things work out exactly the way I want them to. Romantic comedy is a new genre for me, and I like the light, funny aspect of that particular form of entertainment. </div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>How many books have you written?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />I have two – 4 book series out now, THE NOVELS OF LOCH MOIGH/time travel/historicals involving faeries, and the LOVE FROM THE HEARTLAND series, contemporary romance with military elements, one single title, HEART OF THE DRUID LAIRD, and immortal curse/quest tale, and a freebee, ONCE UPON A NIGHT AT SEA. That’s ten. November 2016 the 1st of the romantic comedies will be released, WHAT YOU DO TO ME (The Haneys series), and number 2 in that series will be out early 2017. <br />That’s it so far.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Who is your favourite character of your books?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />My all time favourite hero so far is Ryan Malloy, in THE DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES. He’s soooo messed up, so creative, funny, sweet and complex . . . he’s a veteran with PTSD, who self-medicates with alcohol. He’s also suicidal and plays Russian Roulette with a vintage handgun. The opening chapter he’s finally going to pull the trigger, when fate intervenes. Honestly, THE DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES is the best book I’ve written. (so far) My readers don’t agree with me on that though. TRUE TO THE HIGHLANDER and FAR FROM PERFECT are my bestsellers to date. </div>
<div abp="39">
</div>
<div abp="39">
<strong>What challenges do you face when writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />I love the writing part. I tend to be very hard on myself, and I forget to count my blessings. I suffer all the insecurities most writers do. Sometimes I’m convinced I suck at writing, and sometimes I think I’m pretty good. I’m a total introvert, and writing can be isolating. The usual stuff I guess. How about you? What are your challenges? I’m always interested in hearing what other writers experience. <br />Who do you act out the scenes in your novels with? If you do<br />I do act out scenes! In each scene, I act out the part of the POV character. Since I write in third person and include H/h POVs, my role changes. I’ve tried to explain to newbie writers that writing IS acting. You have to become that character if you’re going to achieve deep POV, right?<br />What is your favourite thing you've written and why? Favourite line/scene/plot<br />There are parts and scenes in all of my books that are favourites, but the fantasy world building, like when my heroine is kidnapped by a fae princess, and left in the land of shadow . . . that was a fun world to create. Then, there’s the first chapter of THE DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES, which I mentioned before. If I can create the image, evoke the emotions, and draw a reader in . . . then that’s my favourite. </div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />I have a home office where I’m surrounded by my favourite reference books, a comfy chair, my printer, and all of my book bibles.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>How many hours a day on average do you say you spend writing?</strong></div>
<div abp="39">
<br />Hmm. It varies. I’m generally writing by 6:00AM, and stop around 1:00PM or 2:00PM. So, 7 or 8 hours a day including breaks, like at a regular job. I go to Yoga three mornings a week, which leads me to write seven days a week to make up the hours. I write every day unless something is going on which prevents me from doing so. I get cranky when I can’t write. </div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>How do you structure each story - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter as you go or just write and see where it flows?</strong></div>
<strong></strong><div abp="39">
<br />Generally, I create a book bible before I start writing the story. These include character development sketches, plot, synopsis and research. It’s nice to have these in place first, especially when writing series, because you have everything you need right there if you have to look something up. <br />I find doing things this way helps me avoid the, “Uh . . . now what(s)? Where do I go from here(s), and the saggy middles.” I don’t lose my way, but I can still be flexible enough for my characters to take things in new directions.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Where do you market your work?</strong></div>
<strong></strong><div abp="39">
<br />I market on social media, just like everyone else. I’m lucky, because no one sells books like Amazon sells books, and they do most of the marketing for me. Occasionally I submit my books to review sites, and I do a few promo sites.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Any tips on what to do and what not to do? Like marketing strategies that have worked for you or something that had poor returns?</strong></div>
<div abp="39">
<br />I have no idea what works and what doesn’t. Do any of us? Marketing really is the toughest part of what we do, because what works now . . . most likely won’t work next month.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>What social media platforms do you use?</strong> <br />My current favourite is to have readers follow me on my Amazon author page, because Amazon will send my followers a direct e-mail when I have a new book come out. Direct e-mails are the best marketing tool at present. Then of course I’m on twitter and Facebook.<br />Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Longley/e/B005H0LRLE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1460144868&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Longley/e/B005H0LRLE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1460144868&sr=1-1</a><br />Twitter: @barbaralongley<br />Facebook: Author page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Barbara-Longley-221712464539145/">https://www.facebook.com/Barbara-Longley-221712464539145/</a><br />Profile page (which is way more fun) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/barlongley">https://www.facebook.com/barlongley</a></div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />What surprises me the most is this: I get paid to make shit up. Honestly, how cool is that? Originally, I had hoped writing/being published would be a good way to supplement my teacher income. Never did I imagine I’d be able to earn my living through writing, but I am. No, I’m not a millionaire or even rich, but I am making my living by doing what I most love to do—tell stories.</div>
<div abp="39">
</div>
<div abp="39">
<strong>How much do you feel you've evolved creatively?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />I write much cleaner and faster than I did when I started out. My first two books took 18 months to write. Now I write a full length novel in 4 to 6 months. I have a much better understanding of story structure these days. I feel more professional at what I do now than I did when I began writing seriously for the purpose of publication.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>Have you attended any literary events? Writer's workshops?</strong></div>
<strong></strong><div abp="39">
<br />Absolutely! Attending conferences, workshops and literary events helps us to develop our craft and to network. Writers “get” writers like no one else does. I need to be with my tribe whenever I can.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>What do you think makes good writing? What do you think the secret to success is?</strong></div>
<div abp="39">
<br />Tight writing is good writing. Avoid superfluous words, buffer words, passive verbs, and dive in deep. My books are character driven rather than plot driven. Compelling characters drive the plot forward, rather the plot driving the characters along. It’s the humanity, the connection and the relatable aspects of a story that captivates a reader. (For me, anyway.)</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>And what book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />Shakespeare’s Comedies, because he so “gets” human nature, and because I prefer the comedies to the tragedies. </div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />My all time favourite archetype is the “Unwilling Hero,” that poor hapless soul who gets caught up in a situation he or she did not ask to be caught up in, and yet he/she rises to the occasion, overcomes all obstacles and grows. Come to think of it, this archetype shows up a lot in my stories.</div>
<div abp="39">
<br /><strong>And lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<br />Be open. By that I mean, if you seek productive criticism, don’t be defensive. Listen. If more than one person tells you the same thing about your work, pay attention, and make the necessary changes. Learn your craft, and never stop improving. Persevere, and see obstacles as stepping stones leading you to where you want to go. Write on!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<strong>Thank you so much for agreeing to feature on the Spotlight series and sharing your thoughts. </strong></div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div abp="39">
<strong></strong> </div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-41012901184940812082016-04-18T01:41:00.003-07:002016-04-18T01:41:43.675-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES WITH D.M. MILLER<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lrDI7qYbnfOa_t_UN7q7tCAFH5v-PIt7nSBncT1-vATYSxbNZONILRPmM0aQbege2tUdmk2rK_mlnA1-xWK3Y2xNcHPafzPR_mY1hyrjJzTSf8PUqWUP8W7LTQrzpXNVe7sJkJAPLko/s1600/12991073_261036174242310_5067605191607573485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lrDI7qYbnfOa_t_UN7q7tCAFH5v-PIt7nSBncT1-vATYSxbNZONILRPmM0aQbege2tUdmk2rK_mlnA1-xWK3Y2xNcHPafzPR_mY1hyrjJzTSf8PUqWUP8W7LTQrzpXNVe7sJkJAPLko/s400/12991073_261036174242310_5067605191607573485_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am overjoyed to announce that author D.M. Miller features next in the series. </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
started the interest to write?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When I was 12 years-old, I began writing
poetry. That is a tender age for any child and even more so for me, after
having gone through some traumatic experiences. I needed an escape, not a vice
but another form of catharsis. Writing was it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tell
us about your first novel?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My very first novel was one I wrote at
the age of 20, but let's not talk about that one. My first published novel is
called, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Religion-Heart-1-ebook/dp/B015RYHZ8S/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">The Religion of the Heart</span></span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">, and is an
interfaith love story between a Muslim and a Jew. In the book, I highlight some
controversial issues like the anti-Semitism that is preached in many Muslim
communities, but I also show that there is good and bad in every religion and
culture. When it comes down to pure love, does the rest matter? You have to
read the book and see!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Are
you self-published or traditional?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Self-published, and I'll tell you why.
Over twenty years ago, back when you had to send the old self-addressed stamped
envelope along with your fully printed work to dozens of agents and publishers
who were willing to accept unsolicited manuscripts, my heart was torn to
pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a break for a couple of
years, I attempted again with the same dismal results. I realized they were
only looking for the formula that's proven to work, unwilling to take a chance
on anything different. Yet the break-out stars never follow the rules. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This time around, despite knowing that
the maturity and depth of my work today far exceeds anything I'd done twenty
years ago and I'd stand a better chance going the traditional route, I'm doing
things my way. Amazon has given us the tools to be able to do that, and I'm
taking full advantage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What
genre do you write and what draws you to it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The genre, I suppose, is romance, though I say that
reluctantly. Romance carries a stigma because people have this negative
preconceived notion about what it is. No, it's not all trash. Nowadays, romance
is a huge genre broken up into multiple categories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My books are love stories but so much more. They're
about the complexities of life, relationships, family, religion and culture. Of
course I'm drawn to these things because they're what life is all about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
many books have you written? </span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I co-wrote a nonfiction book under a pen
name, but as myself, I have two published novels and a book of poetry on the
way. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Religion-Heart-1-ebook/dp/B015RYHZ8S/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">The Religion of the Heart</span></span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> is my first, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Agony-Heart-2-D-M-Miller-ebook/dp/B01DFEA160/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Agony of the Heart</span></span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> is the sequel,
and the third installment is due to come out next year. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dandelion Fuzz</i> is a compilation of poetry I wrote long ago when I
was young and full of angst, and I plan to publish it next month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Who
is your favourite character of your books? </span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Abdul and Catherine are the protagonists
from my "Heart" series, and this may surprise you, but I have more
fun writing Abdul's character than Catherine's. He was born into a wealthy
Egyptian Muslim family and lived a somewhat secluded life as he didn't go to
school but was taught by tutors. After moving to England, his parents worried
about the West corrupting him, and he didn't get to really break out until he
went to university. However, with education being so important to his family,
he was able to become a free-thinker and form his own opinions on things.
Still, he struggles between his Middle Eastern upbringing, the very different
Western culture, and his own emotions. Catherine is a Jew, and he's supposed to
hate Jews, but he knows what he feels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
challenges do you face when writing? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Discipline. But I've finally found what
works. I print out a chart with a daily and weekly goal, and I must fill it out
each day with how much I actually write compared to what I am supposed to
write. Since I will not be defeated, seeing it in writing forces me to get it
done, and this way, I never write less than the minimum. Without the chart, I'm
just in lala land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Who
do you act out the scenes in your novels with? </span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Only in my head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
is your favourite thing you've written and why? </span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The ending of both novels. Every time I
reread the ending of each one, I'm overwhelmed with emotion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Where
do you do your writing? Do you have an office/workplace?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I have an office in my house, and most
of it is done there, although at times I break out my laptop and do some
writing elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
many hours a day on average do you say you spend writing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That really varies, but when I get into
the thick of things and set out a plan, around 1500 words/day is what works for
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
do you structure each story - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter as
you go or just write and see where it flows?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I have a basic outline and certain plot
points that have to happen. Sometimes as I'm writing, new things that I hadn't
planned take place, but the main ideas absolutely have to be in there because
that was my plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Where
do you market your work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Marketing is my biggest weakness. I have
no idea what I'm doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
social media platforms do you use? </span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DM-Miller-Author-510453519106122/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Facebook</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/dmmiller_author"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">@dmmiller_author</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Wordpress: </span><a href="https://dmmillerauthor.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">dmmillerauthor.wordpress.com</span></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p>Amazon Author page: <a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://www.amazon.com/D.-M.-Miller/e/B012RDNV76/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0072c6;">http://www.amazon.com/D.-M.-Miller/e/B012RDNV76/</span></a></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
much do you feel you've evolved creatively? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As we get older and have more life
experiences under our belts, our writing matures, and our perspective on things
changes. I think now I can present a more complete overview of a situation,
looking at it from different angles and showing how and why one character feels
a certain way with the behavior to boot, and why another character coming from
the opposite side sees things differently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Who
designs your book jackets?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sara Armstead designed the cover for </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Agony-Heart-2-D-M-Miller-ebook/dp/B01DFEA160/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Agony of the Heart</span></span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">, and she did a
wonderful job if I do say so myself. Her website is currently under
construction, but her contact details are there: kihani-design.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Who
proof-reads your work? Who is your editor?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There are three people who are my beta
readers and who help to catch mistakes, though I have no "official"
editor. My husband, my mom (ok, I know, I know), and another author who is an
extremely critical friend of mine. I rely heavily on what he says because he's
always honest, brutally so!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Have
you attended any literary events? Writer's workshops?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Not lately, although growing up, I took
many writing courses, started out in journalism and also did business writing
years ago. That was all before starting a family, which derailed my writing
career for a long time, but now I'm fortunate enough to be able to concentrate
on my dream once again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
do you think makes good writing? What do you think the secret to success is?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There are so many different aspects to
it. The story itself is probably the most important thing because that's what
drives the reader to finish the book. However, well thought-out characters are
also important. I know my characters so well; they're a part of me. Their
personality traits, how they'll react to this or that, is all second-nature to
me, but that is not always the case with every writer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What I always say is, if you can't stop
reading the book and have to know what happens, no matter what your complaints
about this or that, it's a good book. We writers can be nit-picky with fellow
authors, but sometimes we should just read the book as a regular reader and
stop being so critical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Which
authors do you rate? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Orit Arfa is an Israeli author who wrote
a book called, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Settler</i>. This book
has so many layers to it, and just when I thought I completely understood, I
read a nonfiction book she wrote which illuminated yet another layer I hadn't
seen. It's a book that has everything and is written to perfection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Other authors I enjoy include A.M.
Khalifa, Ahmad Ardalan, Zohra Saeed, Peter Best, Maria Gibbs, Toni Morrison, and
of course, Hemingway, to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
what book has had the biggest influence on your work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Biblical Book of Esther. It is about
an ordinary Jewish girl who gets an unusual opportunity to compete to become
the Queen but reluctantly must put her own life on the line in order to save
her people from slaughter. She doesn't want to be brave but doesn't have much
choice in the matter because she'll probably die either way. The book is a
triumph of good over evil but so much more. It's the only book of the Bible
that is written like a novel and doesn't even mention G-d.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What's
your favourite character archetype of literature? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That would be Esther again. She came
from nothing but rose to the top, both in prestige and in spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">And
lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To follow your dreams. Don't waste years
of your life hemming and hawing about writing. Just do it. I am a mother and
love that role, but I lost myself along the way. Now that I'm back to writing,
I've rediscovered an integral part of myself. If you're truly a writer at
heart, you need this in your life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Let it flow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Thank you so much for agreeing to feature on the Spotlight series. Good luck with your writing career!</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong>David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-12416397573480508872016-04-14T06:42:00.000-07:002016-04-14T06:42:33.800-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH MATTHEW HARFFY<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11798XmUuBEgq5zI65QR7NolA4qXhmzbNngFEQxp4JbOmwzNo_t46hZSqgqNYD1BFlabfLFlNFVNoW6rBTwHakr1iAzY9AmpfLXuEfpK6ROGokLdeQ2KoTp1qvo9MRu_HYHptevupwJ4/s1600/Matthew_Harffy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11798XmUuBEgq5zI65QR7NolA4qXhmzbNngFEQxp4JbOmwzNo_t46hZSqgqNYD1BFlabfLFlNFVNoW6rBTwHakr1iAzY9AmpfLXuEfpK6ROGokLdeQ2KoTp1qvo9MRu_HYHptevupwJ4/s320/Matthew_Harffy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am overjoyed to announce that author Matthew Harffy features next in the series. </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Matthew, when did you start writing and what made you start?</strong><br />
<br />
In the past, I would often start stories, imagining I would write a novel, but they always petered out after four or five pages.<br />
<br />
Then, back in 2001, I saw a documentary about Anglo-Saxon graves being studied at Bamburgh castle in Northumberland. I used to live in the area and something was sparked in me that night. I went to my PC and just started writing. From that point, it took me years to research and get enough words down, but in the end, that story became The Serpent Sword.<br />
<br />
<strong>Tell us about your debut novel, The Serpent Sword?</strong><br />
<br />
I think the book blurb describes it pretty well:<br />
<br />
BRITAIN 633 A.D.<br />
Certain that his brother’s death is murder, young farmhand Beobrand embarks on a quest for revenge in war-torn Northumbria. When he witnesses barbaric acts at the hands of warriors he considers his friends, Beobrand questions his chosen path and vows to bring the men to justice. <br />
Relentless in pursuit of his enemies, Beobrand faces challenges that change him irrevocably. Just as a great sword is forged by beating together rods of iron, so his adversities transform him from a farm boy to a man who stands strong in the clamour and gore of the shieldwall.<br />
As he closes in on his kin’s slayer and the bodies begin to pile up, can Beobrand mete out the vengeance he craves without sacrificing his own honour … or even his soul?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8KMMzIoVVv3rY04F_OWZA3JKn1_Vtw_c8Ugv3v1KRyv6jmw6L770UGUibXV2lixG2gJkXY-qDkknyxXfrYDzDlvs_MRbKUhZgvXOnaX8EYSY8hoDM1tCyEoUYUpGi5tEgWtC3F-Z-KM/s1600/TheSerpentSwordFrontCover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8KMMzIoVVv3rY04F_OWZA3JKn1_Vtw_c8Ugv3v1KRyv6jmw6L770UGUibXV2lixG2gJkXY-qDkknyxXfrYDzDlvs_MRbKUhZgvXOnaX8EYSY8hoDM1tCyEoUYUpGi5tEgWtC3F-Z-KM/s320/TheSerpentSwordFrontCover.png" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Yes, it certainly captures the feel. I feel when I release a new story it appears quite daunting to think up - to summarise the story for fear of not doing it justice or to put people off.</em></strong><br />
<strong>Where does the main character of Beobrand come from? Is he all you? :)</strong><br />
<br />
That’s an interesting question. Beobrand is not a perfect man, and I realized after writing The Serpent Sword, that his story has some echoes of my own transition from youth to man. There were moments when I was faced with decisions that were to define who I would become as a man. I got mixed up with some unsavoury characters in my late teens, and whilst I didn’t go through such atrocious situations as Beobrand, I did have to make the choice to step away and walk on a better path. <br />
Beobrand is purely fictional, but I think he is the idealized man I would hope to be if I was in his shoes.<br />
<br />
<strong>So what's next in store for him in the second book of the Bernicia Chronicles, The Cross and the Curse?</strong><br />
<br />
In The Cross and the Curse, Beobrand finds new success and fame as a warrior. He is given land and fortune and hopes to settle down. But peace is a distant dream for our hero and he is soon beset by enemies both old and new. There are battles, betrayals, love, death, the clash of religions and the burning desire for vengeance over those who do him wrong.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiqgf5udzE1T-w2oKEpJegr0FWt1u3-tVO6D5XkACtsps-DuGgSCApBp2HgWqFvIfnxcTIpxYkGZRgjpsx8nS5WX3qqjUbV6ORMM2TlE_fANs34bprCasO5UYAp7STfRLr_fuGQ_v2sM/s1600/TCATCKindleCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiqgf5udzE1T-w2oKEpJegr0FWt1u3-tVO6D5XkACtsps-DuGgSCApBp2HgWqFvIfnxcTIpxYkGZRgjpsx8nS5WX3qqjUbV6ORMM2TlE_fANs34bprCasO5UYAp7STfRLr_fuGQ_v2sM/s320/TCATCKindleCover.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>What are you working on now?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m working on the edits of the third novel in the Bernicia Chronicles, BY BLOOD AND BLADE. That should be out this summer.<br />
<br />
<strong>Any future projects?</strong><br />
<br />
I am also currently writing the first draft of a standalone prequel to the Bernicia Chronicles called KIN OF CAIN.<br />
<br />
After that, I’ll begin work on the fourth novel.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong><br />
<br />
I can’t answer that! They’re all great!<br />
<br />
<strong>May I ask in your designs to become a traditional author, have you been rejected? If so, how did you overcome the rejection?</strong><br />
<br />
Of course I’ve been rejected! What author hasn’t? I’ve been rejected by agents before finding one who liked my work enough to sign a contract with me. And then I’ve been rejected by all the major publishing houses! At least I know The Beatles and J.K. Rowling got a lot of rejections too, so there is always hope!<br />
<br />
<strong><em>It depends on the individual's durability in overcoming rejection. A rejection is a direct sword blade to the heart of the time, effort and love that the writer has for their work. Any rejection is disappointing and disheartening.</em></strong><br />
<strong>So how to deal with the rejections?</strong> <br />
<br />
I don’t know… just grin and bear it and keep doing what I know is right. I write what I would like to read. Many people seem to agree, so I can be happy with that.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />
The ebooks are exclusive to Amazon, but anyone can download them to their PC, tablet or phone, even if they do not have a Kindle device, using the free Kindle app. The paperbacks are on sale there too, and can be found on other online retailers, such as The Book Depository (that offers free shipping worldwide), or can be ordered from any good bricks and mortar bookshop.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where does your love of early British history come from?</strong><br />
<br />
I am not sure I would say I have a love for early British history! I do have a love for a time that is undergoing rapid, often violent change. Britain in the seventh century is a maelstrom of races and religions competing for power – a perfect backdrop for exciting stories!<br />
<br />
<strong>Have you visited any of the places that you write about?</strong><br />
<br />
Yes. I lived in Northumberland for a few years a child, and have returned a couple of times since. I have stood on the cliffs overlooking the North Sea while the sea birds wheel in the windswept sky. I have stood surrounded by the Cheviot Hills in the open field where the great hall of Gefrin would once have loomed over smaller huts and houses of the royal settlement. I have walked in the footsteps of Bishop Aidan and the monks on Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands. Northumberland is a magical place, and I think my love for the area comes through in my writing.<br />
<br />
<strong>Which authors have enthralled you?</strong><br />
<br />
To name a few, J.R.R. Tolkien, David Gemmell, Bernard Cornwell, Robert Holdstock, Justin Hill, Robert Lautner, Larry McMurtry, Conn Iggulden, Stephen King, and so many others!<br />
<br />
<strong>What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />
I think it would have to be the great Bernard Cornwell, but there is a lot of Larry McMurtry in there too, I think.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you read mostly?</strong><br />
<br />
In bed, on trains, buses or planes if I’m travelling, and on the toilet! Well, you asked!<br />
<br />
<strong>How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
<br />
Not many. I’m a slow reader and my time is taken up with writing, work and life in general. I probably read about one a month, more if I really get into a book.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Wherever I can! I am writing this on my lunch break in a café. I write at home, in the back of my parked car while waiting for my daughter to finish her dance class, in the library, trains, planes, anywhere!<br />
<br />
<strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />
Very rarely do I write for more than an hour at a time, and not every day.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<br />
No. Write what you want to read, and then make sure you learn enough about it to make it good.<br />
What challenges do you face when writing? Are you easily distracted?<br />
<br />
Not having enough time. I would answer the second question, but I just found an interesting video on Facebook…<br />
<br />
<strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
Best thing – connecting with people who have read my books and enjoyed them!<br />
Worst thing – how long it takes to write a novel!<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you market your books?</strong><br />
<br />
The usual – Facebook, Twitter, a blog, mailing lists, on history groups on Facebook, etc. <br />
<br />
<strong>What do you like doing when you aren't researching/writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Until recently I sang in a rock band, but I was struggling to find the time for everything. I like going out with my family and friends to eat good food, going to the cinema, reading, visiting interesting places.<br />
<br />
<strong>Have you attended any writing courses or conventions, if so, what are your thoughts?</strong><br />
<br />
No. I will be attending my first big event later this year – the Historical Novel Society 2016 Conference in Oxford, where I will be speaking on a panel!<br />
<br />
<strong>What advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
<br />
Like Nike says – just do it! <br />
<br />
Thanks for the questions. It’s been fun answering them.<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you Matthew, please find links below to his website, books and other social media.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.matthewharffy.com/">www.matthewharffy.com</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/MatthewHarffy">https://twitter.com/MatthewHarffy</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MatthewHarffyAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/MatthewHarffyAuthor</a><br />
Buy The Serpent Sword: <a href="http://getbook.at/TheSerpentSword">http://getbook.at/TheSerpentSword</a><br />
Buy The Cross and the Curse: <a href="http://getbook.at/CROSSandCURSE">http://getbook.at/CROSSandCURSE</a>David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-19654994954119030732016-04-07T01:46:00.002-07:002016-04-07T01:46:24.411-07:00NEW RELEASE! TEMPEST OUT TODAY!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlB5vN3oQIiHvSnUjNvpnXWfmH7ZoaHVll5r6JtPoVICC7VyO9Aa48V4K1OKP3NSZfGmcFEeyRT0Zom7D9r2xpngzAVJl9u82ou2Ts36DGsHpl8LGJk2PPO9VLwjQjDzBaM2BzxX9Hvc/s1600/Tempest+eBook+Cover+Amazon+Extra+Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlB5vN3oQIiHvSnUjNvpnXWfmH7ZoaHVll5r6JtPoVICC7VyO9Aa48V4K1OKP3NSZfGmcFEeyRT0Zom7D9r2xpngzAVJl9u82ou2Ts36DGsHpl8LGJk2PPO9VLwjQjDzBaM2BzxX9Hvc/s400/Tempest+eBook+Cover+Amazon+Extra+Large.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_57061b9c586d89817043139">
TEMPEST, the sixth novella in the Soldier Chronicles historical series is out for the Kindle TODAY - WORLDWIDE.<br />
<br />
Fishguard, February, 1797: HMS Britannia anchors off the Pembrokeshire coast in the dying days of winter. Two armed companies of soldiers row ashore, led by the charismatic American, Colonel William Tate. They are met by the local Welsh Volunteer regiment who, unlike the suspicious locals, have been expecting them.<br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><div class="text_exposed_show">
<br />
But one man has been secretly shadowing a small flotilla bound for the same destination. Major Lorn Mullone, a shrewd Irishman employed by the British government, considers that their arrival is more than fortuitous.<br />
<br />
Is this just a mere coincidence or perhaps a ruse de guerre? Mullone has to uncover the truth and, with every step of the way, he must tread carefully if he is to survive.<br />
<br />
UK AMAZON<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/fZjLU9" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/fZjLU9</a><br />
<br />
US AMAZON<br /><a href="http://goo.gl/mSBMrQ" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/mSBMrQ</a><br />
<br />
AMAZON.CA<br /><a href="https://goo.gl/It6Iww" target="_blank">https://goo.gl/It6Iww</a><br />
<br />
AMAZON.COM.AU <br /><a href="https://goo.gl/2D86en" target="_blank">https://goo.gl/2D86en</a><br />
<br />
<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/tempest?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">tempest</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/newrelease?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">newrelease</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ebook?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">ebook</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/history?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">history</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/war?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">war</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/military?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">military</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/fiction?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">fiction</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/historicalfiction?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">historicalfiction</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/selfpub?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">selfpub</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/indieauthor?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">indieauthor</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/kindle?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">kindle</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/goodreads?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">goodreads</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/amazon?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">amazon</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/books?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">books</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/reading?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">reading</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/read?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">read</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/readinglist?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">readinglist</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/amreading?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">amreading</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/amwriting?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">amwriting</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/amediting?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">amediting</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/histfic?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">histfic</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/createspace?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">createspace</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/asms?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">ASMS</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/iartg?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">IARTG</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/author?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">author</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thesoldierchronicles?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">thesoldierchronicles</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/novella?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">novella</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/series?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">series</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bookworm?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">bookworm</span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/greatreads?source=feed_text&story_id=479671225571604"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">greatreads</span></a> #mustread #storytelling #whattoread #indiepub #publishing #editgoal #wip #writechat #bookbuzzr #ereaders #epubchat #kindlebargain #kpd #pubit #action #adventure #webfic #bookmarketing<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtt0Zk5npl4Z68QORNbRZlDJU7-WpuBvOvpBjiyZhb1y3rwTC0YIcdGQi7NC99CAouMu720EpuebUW5Wg6GgSR_u7F4xyOGJCQerb76kAd4yJJREDZoJzNHOf2H41a_fGXtKabwINPr0/s1600/tempestsnip.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtt0Zk5npl4Z68QORNbRZlDJU7-WpuBvOvpBjiyZhb1y3rwTC0YIcdGQi7NC99CAouMu720EpuebUW5Wg6GgSR_u7F4xyOGJCQerb76kAd4yJJREDZoJzNHOf2H41a_fGXtKabwINPr0/s400/tempestsnip.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
</div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-47347317088622556142016-04-07T00:27:00.000-07:002016-04-07T00:27:25.396-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH CHRISTOPH FISCHER<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsgJ8DRQeN2b2R9NTyX-XNCPB26wUYQCJ8676_T3rjuJyzjNNrdQoCozH5EJYf921vee6qlxSy-_-m5FF-sQT3KlayroULtrYXTYfIJcxmQTw3IDLlFDiFBzS-1O5tGGLYXvt8F09SPo/s1600/12472363_10153269534657132_8039812963214624224_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsgJ8DRQeN2b2R9NTyX-XNCPB26wUYQCJ8676_T3rjuJyzjNNrdQoCozH5EJYf921vee6qlxSy-_-m5FF-sQT3KlayroULtrYXTYfIJcxmQTw3IDLlFDiFBzS-1O5tGGLYXvt8F09SPo/s320/12472363_10153269534657132_8039812963214624224_n.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am overjoyed to announce that author Christoph Fischer features next in the series. <br /></strong><strong>As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them. Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Hi Christoph, thank you for featuring here today.</em></strong><br />
<strong>When did you start writing and why?</strong><br />
<br />About 7 years ago I began some ancestry research and read a lot of history books about Czechoslovakia during and after World War 2. I learned a lot that I hadn’t known and combining those facts with some ideas about my family’s roots in the region resulted in my novel “The Luck of the Weissensteiners”. Although this is not the story of my ancestors, the book is quite close to my heart.<br />
<br /><strong>Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<br />Self-published, out of choice. With all the changes in the publishing industry authors are called upon to do a lot of their marketing work anyway. I prefer having the control over cover design, who edits my novels and how it is marketed.<br />
<br /><strong><em>If you can make it work, then fantastic. It's hard work, that's for sure. Lonely, sometimes and I wonder whether an agent would help champion my work or not? I have mixed feelings.</em></strong><br />
<strong>How many books have you written?</strong><br />
<br />I’ve written ten novels so far. Here are some of them:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04GlmvAufRXeqZc-Q6IZrMAbz59PKMlDj7gJRC28vq0fwYa08i10oBl48eyJ9wigXRyucaGRa7Pu9RSDx_iy6x4AK5Q2qPkAwGE0N3aJCStxd0lxi5ZOfoNzTDq4aTPbsb9GbkSVmxiA/s1600/poster3-horiz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04GlmvAufRXeqZc-Q6IZrMAbz59PKMlDj7gJRC28vq0fwYa08i10oBl48eyJ9wigXRyucaGRa7Pu9RSDx_iy6x4AK5Q2qPkAwGE0N3aJCStxd0lxi5ZOfoNzTDq4aTPbsb9GbkSVmxiA/s320/poster3-horiz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Five historical novels, all set in the 20th Century: “The Luck of the Weissensteiners” (Slovakia during WW2), “Sebastian” (Vienna during WW1), “The Black Eagle Inn” (Germany after WW2), “In Search of a Revolution” (Finland between 1918 and 1956) and “Ludwika” (A Polish Ostarbeiter in Germany during World War 2).<br />
<br />
Three contemporary family dramas about mental health and Alzheimer’s. <br />
<br />
Two thrillers: “The Healer” and “The Gamblers”.<br />
<br /><strong><em>Brilliant! I've just picked up Ludwika. What a story!</em></strong><br />
<strong>What are you working on now?</strong><br />
<br />I’m working on a sequel to “The Healer” and on a comic rural murder mystery.<br />
<br /><strong>Who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong><br />
<br />Jonah Weissensteiner is a very jovial and caring father figure with a great sense of humour. He’s close to how I saw my father and how I imagined my grandfather, whom I never got to meet.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />Website: <a href="http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/">http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/</a><br />Blog: <a href="http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/">http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/</a><br />Goodreads: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer</a><br />Amazon: <a href="http://ow.ly/BtveY">http://ow.ly/BtveY</a><br />
Smashwords: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527811">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527811</a><br />On iTunes: <a href="https://itun.es/i6LL9CF">https://itun.es/i6LL9CF</a><br />Nook Book Link: <a href="http://ow.ly/LMhlm">http://ow.ly/LMhlm</a><br />On Facebook: <a href="http://on.fb.me/1bua395">http://on.fb.me/1bua395</a><br />B&N <a href="http://ow.ly/Btvas">http://ow.ly/Btvas</a><br />
<br /><strong>Which authors have enthralled you?</strong> <br />
<br />Paulette Mahurin, John F Hanley, Brett Easton Ellis, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Gregory David Roberts, Ian Hutson, Melodie Ramone, Judith Barrow.<br />
<br /><strong>What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />Lionel Shriver with her sharp and acerbic writing, Christos Tsiolkas with his uncompromising style, Khaled Hosseini with his ability to portray diverse cultures and alienation… so many more.<br />
<br /><strong>What book are you currently reading?</strong><br />
<br />“Enjoyment is Forbidden” by Aaron David. I love the author’s sense of humour and sharp wit. <br />
<br /><strong>Where do you read mostly?</strong><br />
<br />In a quiet corner at home or on busses, airplanes and in the bath tub.<br />
<br /><strong><em>Your next book should be an autobiography called 'Planes, Trains and Bathtubs'. :)</em></strong><br />
<strong>How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
<br />About ten, sometimes more.<br />
<br /><strong><em>If I love a book so much I'll re-read it...so does that count as two...?</em></strong><br />
<strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<br />In a quiet corner of my house, overlooking the garden.<br />
<br /><strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />When I am in full flow it can be up to 8 hours. Writing is all consuming, the story needs to come out, it’s like giving birth…<br />
<br /><strong><em>And the cravings too. Haha - ahem...</em></strong><br />
<strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<br />To some degree that is true but as historical writer I am forced to write about things I do not know about from personal experience. Good research and thoroughness can compensate. What you know about can also be too familiar; I’m personally more motivated to find out what I don’t know and write about that. <br />
<br /><strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong><br />
<br />How much time it takes; not the writing but the editing and formatting and marketing. <br />
<br /><strong><em>Yep, agree with you there.</em></strong><br />
<strong>What do you like doing when you aren't writing?</strong><br />
<br />Walking my dogs, exercising and watching some mindless comedy TV.<br />
<br /><strong>How do you structure your writing - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?</strong><br />
<br />I have basic outlines and ideas for chapters but usually the story takes on a life of its own and things happen quite differently than planned.<br />
<br />
<strong>Have you attended any literary events?</strong><br />
<br />I’ve been to the Kensington Christmas Book Fair in December 2015 and am currently organising a Book Fair in Llandeilo, West Wales. I’m looking forward to the Historical Novelist Society Conference in Oxford later this year.<br />
<br /><strong><em>I look forward to seeing you there!</em> </strong><br />
<strong>So what social media platforms do you use?</strong><br />
<br />Twitter, Facebook, blogging, Google Plus, Amazon promotions.<br />
<br /><strong>What is your favourite genre?</strong> <br />
<br />Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Comedies and thrillers.<br />
<br /><strong>And the favourite thing you've ever written so far?</strong><br />
<br />The epilogue in “The Luck of the Weissensteiners”<br />
<br /><strong>What scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?</strong><br />
<br />Without spoiling anything, the scene where one character in “The Luck of the Weissensteiners” dies. It still gives me goosebumps.<br />
<br /><strong>What do you think makes good writing?</strong><br />
<br />Many different and quite opposite things, I believe. I personally like sharp and pointed writing best, raw and uncompromising in style, yet I also enjoyed some very wordy and flowery literature.<br />
<br /><strong>Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
<br />
Work hard, keep writing, believe in yourself and don’t let yourself be discouraged. <br />Write for the love of writing and for your audience as well as for yourself. Enjoy it.<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you, Christoph!</strong>David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-65353196863773379702016-04-04T00:54:00.003-07:002016-04-04T01:05:03.246-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH ANNIE WHITEHEAD<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1twlADzqKUnxac8nXxN-vIDeWnnU_kKgudeSd_-TApt_r4518qd7FFAlvZ0jCSaXOhODM77gLEWZocXyE8yX_nEGGcV95vSCIhVtE2sa9n4QH04GVPW2OqpNHbpAr5JIUY5eM2-_qong/s1600/headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1twlADzqKUnxac8nXxN-vIDeWnnU_kKgudeSd_-TApt_r4518qd7FFAlvZ0jCSaXOhODM77gLEWZocXyE8yX_nEGGcV95vSCIhVtE2sa9n4QH04GVPW2OqpNHbpAr5JIUY5eM2-_qong/s320/headshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am overjoyed to announce that author Annie Whitehead features next in the series. </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Annie, are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I’m self-published, although I am under contract to a literary agent.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>It must be great to have that extra support from an agent.</em> </strong><br />
<strong>So how many books have you written?</strong><br />
<br />
I’ve written three historical fictions: <br />
<br />
To Be A Queen tells the story of Alfred the Great’s daughter. She grew up in Mercia and was married off as part of an alliance between her father’s kingdom of Wessex and the satellite kingdom of Mercia. She eventually came to rule Mercia and was instrumental in the fight against the invading Vikings. <br />
<br />
Alvar the Kingmaker is the story of a leading nobleman in the 10th century. He was one of three powerful earls in the reign of King Edgar, a period noted for its lack of Viking invasions, which allowed time for dirty politics and intrigue at court between rival factions. Chuck in a couple of civil wars and a bit of regicide and you find that the Vikings weren't the only thing to cause havoc in England. <br />
<br />
The third book, as yet untitled and unpublished, is also set in the ancient midlands kingdom of Mercia, but in a much earlier period. <br />
<br />
<strong><em>I'm keeping an eye out for Alvar the Kingmaker. A well written piece about court politics can be equally as exciting as a battle scene.</em> </strong><br />
<strong>What are you working on now?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I was a prize-winner two years running in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition. The second year, judge Fay Weldon remembered me and told me that I should turn my second piece into a full-blown novel. So that’s what I’m up to at the moment, although it’s not historical.<br />
<br />
<strong>Any future projects?</strong><br />
<br />
I’ve another novel which I want to write. Curiously, the title came first. Usually I have a great deal of difficulty coming up with titles. Now I just need to write the rest of it!<br />
<br />
<strong><em>I find I don't start with a title. I outline, plot and write. During the writing stage I find the title just pops up. With Tempest (release TBA) it first became Deception Point. Then I laughed thinking it was not a Dan Brown novel.</em></strong><br />
<strong>So what about you? Do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?</strong><br />
<br />
The starting point is deciding whose story I want to tell. The outline has to come next, because the historical timeline already exists. Then I need to decide what to include and what to leave out. After that, I have to flesh out the characters and plausibly fill in the gaps with fiction. I might know, for example that all my characters were in one particular location in one year, and it might be documented where they were the following year. But it’s up to me what happens to them in the intervening months. The characters’ story arcs have to blend accurately with the history, but I always have the history to hang the plot upon.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who is your favourite character of your books?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m a little bit in love with Ethelred of Mercia, from To Be A Queen. He was an enigmatic figure; nobody knows quite how he arrived onto the pages of history and it’s a shame that we don’t know more about him. <br />
<br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
In all the usual places - they can even be ordered from your high street book shop. But here are some links:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mybook.to/To-Be-A-Queen">http://mybook.to/To-Be-A-Queen</a><br />
<a href="http://mybook.to/AlvartheKingmaker">http://mybook.to/AlvartheKingmaker</a><br />
<a href="https://www.feedaread.com/books/Alvar-the-Kingmaker-9781786106889.aspx">https://www.feedaread.com/books/Alvar-the-Kingmaker-9781786106889.aspx</a><br />
<br />
<strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />
If I’m not out at work, I try to get a whole ‘working day’ in - maybe from 8.30 to 5. If I’m doing final edits though, I might do 12-14 hour stints. <br />
<br />
<strong><em>12-14 hour stints? Wow. I find even after 2 hours I need to get up and walk otherwise I'll end up like Davros from Doctor Who.</em> </strong><br />
<strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<br />
Up to a point. But you can always apply your own experiences to other things.<br />
<br />
<strong>What is your favourite genre?</strong><br />
<br />
I would have to say Historical Fiction. It was really the only type of fiction I read when I was younger, and the only subjects that ever interested me at school were English and History, so it’s the perfect fusion for me. <br />
<br />
Nowadays I read more widely, and will tackle most genres, apart from horror.<br />
<br />
<strong>What challenges do you face when writing? Are you easily distracted?</strong><br />
<br />
I have an old lap top which I don’t connect to the internet, so when I’m writing I don’t get distracted. But I have learned that sometimes my brain just won’t allow me to write - it’s not so much writer’s block as just not being ready. I go with the flow, and wander round doing other things until I’m ready to sit down and write.<br />
<br />
<strong>How much do you feel you've improved in the last few years?</strong><br />
<br />
Having written three historical fictions, I think I’ve now reached a point where I’ve found my ‘voice’. The book I’m working on at the moment is not an historical, so it will be interesting to see if I speak in that same voice. I think I will, because I’ve now developed my own style of writing.<br />
<br />
<strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
The best thing is the total absorption - I can lose whole days when I’m writing. It’s a form of mindfulness.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>(Escapism? That's what I was told once.)</em></strong><br />
<br />
The worst? The usual self-doubt probably.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you believe in writers block?</strong> <br />
<br />
I’ve never had it, but what I do suffer with is having to wait until my brain is ready to let me sit down and write. I can have all the ideas, and know exactly where I want to go with a story, but will find myself wandering away from my desk, going out for walks, folding linen. It used to worry me but now I know it’s a process that I have to go through. Then, when my brain is ready, I sit down and can quite happily not look up again until I’ve written 5000 words or more.<br />
<br />
<strong>What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Being a guest at two literary lunches as a prize-winner for the MoS competitions that I mentioned above. I met lots of agents, editors and authors: Fay Weldon, Sarah Waters, James Buchan, Simon Brett ...<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Yeah, I need to get out more and meet people. I'm shy and a gathering of agents, authors and readers feels me with so much insecurity.</em></strong><br />
<strong>What do you like doing when you aren't writing?</strong><br />
<br />
As recompense for the hours spent hunched over a computer, I do a lot of ‘working out’ - from Pilates to kick-boxing and weight-training, to walking, cycling and running. I’ve also developed a slight addiction to colouring books! I have an extensive collection of music too.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you write full-time or do you have another job?</strong><br />
<br />
I work part-time as a freelance Early Years Music teacher, but I also make a small amount from writing articles for magazines.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Oh wow, I didn't know that about you.</em></strong><br />
<strong>What do you think makes good writing?</strong> <strong><em>(I love this question because everyone featured in the series answers it differently and it's great to read what other writers think.)</em></strong><br />
<br />
It can be a blend of many things, but ultimately it has to be a mixture that takes a reader right into the scene, right into the characters’ heads, right into the action.<br />
<br />
<strong>What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />
Jane Austen. Simply because I remember my A level English teacher explaining how brilliantly she dropped bits of information into her books which would repay a second reading, and how you always know which character is speaking, because she gave them such distinctive voices.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Ah, Jane. Re-reading Emma right now. I agree with what you said about the voice, she was a master.</em> Where do you read mostly?</strong><br />
<br />
In the summer I sit outside in the garden and read, from early morning until the sun disappears somewhere beyond the bottom of our hill. In the winter I’m either curled up on the sofa, or in the comfy chair in my bedroom.<br />
<br />
<strong>How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
<br />
3-8, depending on what else I’m busy with.<br />
<br />
<strong>What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong><br />
<br />
Probably the flawed hero. I have a problem with villains - I struggle to believe that anyone is truly just ‘evil’ and always like to know why they’ve developed into awful people. I understand now that some people are genuinely unpleasant for no reason, but I do still try to find some excuse to forgive them - I’m too nice! <br />
<br />
<strong>What advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
<br />
If ever you are tempted to give up, ask yourself what you’d rather be doing. If the answer is nothing, then you are a writer. Keep going.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Thank you for your time, Annie, it was pure joy to have you guest here today.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSYN-jGLER4uqC8B-MX6lwNEaOJ4ACFMTnN6IhrB0xu_94CkTAprTV4goNvT0NkvCtYArDqVETmTvE9WL-rZHXJvVl0yiXS0tMitIsCMfO1Bzkiep4VlsbEygmSP9Bp3OEI30HiFLk4o/s1600/Annie+Queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSYN-jGLER4uqC8B-MX6lwNEaOJ4ACFMTnN6IhrB0xu_94CkTAprTV4goNvT0NkvCtYArDqVETmTvE9WL-rZHXJvVl0yiXS0tMitIsCMfO1Bzkiep4VlsbEygmSP9Bp3OEI30HiFLk4o/s1600/Annie+Queen.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRK3FE9wH77_hDR0A4HW9xsM1be_p6Oik8SQt4_0YmiRInea8THuTZmX4vEk-iGVB3-Iu1wRHjGXW3lleGaIITgXSJl6HHZDw3edmU136aaIFyy5WwXaz-75mNsuuyZnhkAh0WtSgkoNU/s1600/Alvar+the+Kingmaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRK3FE9wH77_hDR0A4HW9xsM1be_p6Oik8SQt4_0YmiRInea8THuTZmX4vEk-iGVB3-Iu1wRHjGXW3lleGaIITgXSJl6HHZDw3edmU136aaIFyy5WwXaz-75mNsuuyZnhkAh0WtSgkoNU/s320/Alvar+the+Kingmaker.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-36447162161450436962016-03-31T02:17:00.001-07:002016-03-31T02:17:15.193-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH LESLIE MONTGOMERY<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq7vJvUFErV8eYcq1sSVbIS6xuSS2GQ0_QCganbQ6_VbMfwy4GayJjitIXBzBqOheS5DKqKq5QVhnE3vKOHrUkGCUNVlPsdUcZ4HHrAVEN5xu2cxjS9MtZmOiY2uQJT32w0FBUFSeiHM/s1600/Alan%2527s+Headshot+of+Leslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq7vJvUFErV8eYcq1sSVbIS6xuSS2GQ0_QCganbQ6_VbMfwy4GayJjitIXBzBqOheS5DKqKq5QVhnE3vKOHrUkGCUNVlPsdUcZ4HHrAVEN5xu2cxjS9MtZmOiY2uQJT32w0FBUFSeiHM/s320/Alan%2527s+Headshot+of+Leslie.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>I am overjoyed to announce that author Leslie Montgomery features next in the series. </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Tell us about your first novel? When did you start writing and why?</strong><br />
<br />The first book I wrote that was ever published was Were It Not for Grace: Women After God’s Own Heart. It was the stories of twelve godly leaders in America who had overcome great tragedy through Christ. Women featured include Condoleezza Rice, former First-lady Laura Bush, Beth Moore, and Joyce Wright among others. The topics cover everything from the death of a loved one to sexual abuse, infertility, and losing a child as well as other stories where women have struggled. I have a real passion to reach those who are hurting and lost, so writing this book was an attempt to reach that market with hope.<br />
<br />My mother likes to say I was born with a pen in hand; it was all she could do to keep me from writing on the walls as a child. From as early as I remember I’ve kept a journal. Entries went from ‘Donny Osmond is as cute as a bug’s ear’ to more serious entries over the years, but that one’s my favorite! Seriously though, I wrote on anything I could get my hands on; bills didn’t get paid because I’d write on the back of them and take them to my room to work on. I drove my parents crazy. By the time I was eight I was putting on productions I’d written for my family complete with commercials and starring my stuffed animal. Hey, don’t knock it - I got rave reviews! <br />
<br />I wrote because I had to; it was in my blood. Writing is to me, like breathing – something I have to do. I grew up in a very abusive environment and it was all I could do to keep my head above water. Writing gave me a voice and one without limits. I could share my feelings through a poem or dive into a story and disappear into another land and time, both escaping what was going on to me and around me. In other words, it kept me sane (although that is debated among some).<br />
<br />The first time I got published was in a newspaper when I was in the 7th grade and my grandmother edited my work for me. From there I got my foot in the door by writing a lot of articles and columns for newspapers for free or for pennies on the dollar. The first time my work began to get published regularly and I started making good money was when I started submitting articles to different divisions of Focus on the Family. It seemed like everything I sent them got published and I was in heaven. My education is in pastoral counseling so I wrote a lot of pieces on various issues from a biblical perspective. 99% of what I write is non-fiction, however, I wrote quite a bit of fiction for FOTF’s Brio at one time. One day out of the blue the Lord put it on my heart to send an article I wrote about on-line addiction to a specific, well-known psychologist, and within a week he contacted me to ghost-write for him. I went on to write all his publications, including television and radio, for two years, then ghost wrote three books for him. He wasn’t the easiest person to work for so after I wrote those books for him I figured if I could make him successful I should be able to write my own books.<br />
<strong><br />Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<br />All of my books have been published through publishing houses. I’ve learned that the best way to get an acquisitions editor to look at your work is by getting to know them personally and developing a relationship. Often, authors and agents submit their proposals to every publisher that exists, but I have found that in doing so you are wasting your time with submitting them to publishers that don’t publish your type of book. Do some research and make a notebook of who’s who and at what publisher. Follow the role changes on different media sites like Christianretailer.com. Keep up on who is leaving one publishing house and going to another. It seems to me that job’s change frequently within the faith-based publishing houses, so you have to keep up with the changes. <br />
<br />Speaking of agents….this leads me to the age-‘ol question of to have an agent or not. I have a strong writer’s bio so I usually cold-call acquisitions editors after doing research on them and the publisher’s catalog to see if partnering with them would make a good team. Sometimes I get frustrated with doing this just because I’d rather be writing than playing phone tag all day. One day I was talking about this with a friend of mine who asked me to consider signing with an agent. I made the call, signed with an agent, met all the demands of rewriting my bio and answering all their specific questions and waited as my agent shopped my books. Over the course of the next several months my agent went from, ‘This book is excellent just as it is,’ to ‘You need to make these changes’ to ‘You just need to recraft the entire book’ (it was later published with another house as it was). My agent was unable to tell me why the publisher wanted it changed, which drove me nuts. That’s something I would have found out if I had pitched it myself and I felt in the dark. Then, my agent told me some things she was going to do with my books that she never did. Deadlines were missed and goals went unmet. Finally, I said, ‘This isn’t working for me,’ and I cut her loose. Personally, I think she had too many clients for her to keep up with on a day-to-day basis, and I wasn’t willing to fall through the cracks. Today, I pitch my own proposals and book ideas.<br />
<strong> </strong>For me, I’ve learned the best way to find the right publisher for a book is to pray and wait on the Lord. He will tell me who to give my proposals to and who not too. He is faithful to those who diligently seek Him. Overall, I don’t want to publish anything that His hand is not on or He has not blessed. I lean on Him heavily throughout the writing process. As such, writing a book is one of the times when I feel the closest to the Lord. It’s an extraordinary time of dwelling in His presence and writing as He leads – there’s nothing else like it.<br />
<br />I originally went through Createspace to publish my memoir because there was a demand for it and I was having a hard time getting it published through a traditional publishing house. Createspace will only sell to you the number of books you ask for so if you want 5 or 500 they will produce them, put them on all of the national and international book distribution sites, handle the money aspect and deposit the cash into your account. I like those things about it. <br />What I don’t like about it is that your final product never looks like a professionally bound release by traditional publishing houses. Also, unless you are a marketing genius you aren’t going to get the attention you want and deserve to have. While your mom may show your work off to anyone who will listen, most media sources (even local) aren’t going to be interested in doing stories on you or your book if it’s self-published.<br />
<br />Start building your platform yesterday (I meant to write that). In other words, get it up and get it going NOW! All I want to do is write books. I don’t want to have to build my platform by spending time on the internet, calling people, setting up interviews, and writing a daily blog, but I have to and so do you so get over and get it done. <strong> </strong><br />
<strong> <br />How many books have you written? </strong><br />
I have written twelve books with four of them being ghost-written. <br />1. Were it Not For Grace: Stories of Women After God’s Own Heart (Broadman & Holman/Lifeway)<br />2. Engaging the Enemy: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare (Cook Communications Publishing) <br />3. A Parent’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare (Good News Publishers & Crossway Books)<br />4. Redemptive Suffering: Lesson’s Learned from the Garden of Gethsemane (Good News Publishers & Crossway Books) <br />5. The Faith of Condoleezza Rice (Good News Publisher’s & Crossway Books)<br />6. Metamorphosis: God’s Gift of Transformation (TBA) <br />7. Resurrecting Sissy: A Memoir of God’s Power to Breathe Life Into A Dying Soul (TBA)<br />8. Finding the Father I Never Had (TBA)<br />
<strong><br />Any future projects?</strong><br />
<br />As I go through life I watch for information and research on a several different topics that I long to write about. I have been working on a couple of books over the last several years, taking the time to write on them as time allows. At some point, when I feel I have a strong skeleton for a book I’ll submit a proposal to a publisher. One is tentatively called Love & Intimacy with God and Others, and the other is Men as Tree’s Walking: God’s Gift of Progressive Healing.<br />
<strong><br />Who is your favorite character of your books and why?</strong><br />
<br />Since I write predominately non-fiction, I generally write about the Trinity and the Bible, which really are my favorite “characters.” I have been reading the Bible habitually for twenty-two years and have learned that the more I know, the more there is yet to know. God rewards those who diligently seek Him and there’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting before Him basking in His glory and talking with Him.<br />
<strong><br />Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />You can find my books at Christian retailers, on Amazon and other on-line book outlets, and some you can find at Wal-Mart or on my website: <a href="http://www.lesliemontgomery.org/">www.lesliemontgomery.org</a>.<br />
<strong><br />Which authors have enthralled you?</strong><br />
<br />I love everything Andrew Murray and E.M. Bounds ever wrote. Most of my favorite works are written by those who have been long deceased. I’m one of those “weird” Christians who reads commentaries, and my favorites are written by Warren Wiersbe. I don’t get a lot of time to read for pleasure, but when I do get a few minutes I like to sit down with the Bible and do an in depth study on a word or chapter. I take my Bible with me everywhere in hopes that I can get a few minutes here or there. I have a Greek and Hebrew edition of the Word of God and it’s fascinating to me to learn the root meaning of a word and how in knowing that it transforms and explains the entire message in its original meaning. My favorite works of the Bible to read are those of the Apostle Paul. I relate strongly to his transparency and love for the Body of Christ.<br />
<strong> <br />What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />I didn’t become born-again until I was twenty-four, but when I was a pre-teen my mother bought me a book by John Benton called Carmen. The main character in this book was about women who had grown up in dysfunctional homes and ended up on the streets and using drugs and alcohol, and selling their bodies. At the end of the book Carmen gives her life to the Lord through David Wilkerson’s ministry, Teen Challenge. I didn’t understand at the time what exactly had happened spiritually to Carmen, but I do remember thinking that I wanted to have the hope and promise of a good future that she attained. I related to the trials Carmen had gone through because I was living in a very unhealthy home where all kinds of abuse ensued. Benton ended up writing several books about different women who went through Teen Challenge, and I’d walk the six miles round-trip from my home to the used book store to get the latest release. I was enthralled with every one of his books. The neat thing is that after I got saved I touched base with John Benton and he and his wife “just happened” to be coming to Nashville, Tennessee on business, and that’s where I was living. I had the pleasure of meeting them and telling him what an inspiration his books were to me.<br />
<br />Other than John Benton’s books I’d definitely say the Bible first and foremost. I feel my calling in this life is to know God and to make Him known through my writing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong>Where do you read mostly?</strong></div>
<br />I have a five and seven-year-old so I don’t get much “quiet time.” For the last seven years I have gotten up at two in the morning, sit in my favourite over-stuffed chair, drink coffee and read the Bible in silence. I have to have time alone with the Lord or I won’t survive. He’s my spiritual oxygen.<br />
<strong><br />How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
I read about a dozen on average – all non-fiction. The only Christian fiction I’ve ever read was Francine Rivers book, Redeeming Love, which is outstanding – a must read for sure. I’ve bought dozens of copies and give them to young women who grapple with receiving and understanding the Lord’s love for them. I also take the time to read it over again every couple of years and it always leaves me sobbing. <br />
<strong></strong><br /><strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>I have to have complete silence when I’m writing without distractions. Being disciplined is not hard for me because I need to write, but getting silence can be challenging. I tend to write during the time my kids are in school. I turn off my phone, hang out with the Lord for a while seeking His wisdom and guidance, and when I feel like He’s released me to write, I do so.<br />
<strong> </strong><strong><br />Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />Absolutely! My most successful book is on the topic of suffering; a topic that I know well, including on how to overcome it in Christ. I wrote Redemptive Suffering in 2006 and still, ten years later, get letters from people who have read it and have been blessed by it. There is no greater reward as a writer than to know God is working through you to reach and help others. I’ve done a lot of writing on counselling issues as well since it’s what I studied in school. I do write about topics I’m not as thoroughly knowledgeable about, but it doesn’t come to me as easy as those topics I’m most familiar with personally. Also let me say that writing what you know can be something you learned. For example, if you want to write a story that took place in the 1800s, then by gosh, get to learning and write what you will then know!<br />
<strong><br />What challenges do you face when writing? Are you easily distracted?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />Getting the silence I need to write can be a challenge at times, especially in the summer months when my kids are out of school. Also, as you begin to have books out you get several opportunities to speak at different venues so my ability to make sure I get times of silence to write can sometimes be a challenge. I am not easily distracted if no one else is around when I’m writing. It drives me nuts to be interrupted – especially when I’m on a roll and the ink is flowing!<br />
<strong><br />As an author are you self-employed or do you have another job?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />I am self-employed. If you want to grow your platform and continue to have book contracts, you will soon realize that it’s a full-time job. I can’t imagine having to work full-time while writing. I am blessed that the Lord has provided in such a way that I can stay home and write full-time. I’ve have had to make some cuts in spending, but I believe you make time for things that are important to you. My career as an author is not about me being successful, but about an opportunity for me to reach others for Christ, so I see it as a calling to minister more than a job. Writers don’t always know that most authors are middle-class and make enough money to live, but not live extravagantly. Those who write best-sellers are the minority when you consider that there are 600,000 books published annually.<br />
<strong><br />What has surprised you most about writing?</strong><br />
I have been surprised the most about how my writing has matured and changed over the years. When I first began writing I felt internal pressure to write a specific way, but over the last couple of years I’ve allowed my personality and the gifts the Lord has given me to shine through in my work. In doing so, I’ve had more success. God hasn’t called me to be Joyce Meyer or Beth Moore, but to be Leslie Montgomery with the unique ability to use the gifts He’s given me to reach the world. I can be confident being me and I like that a lot.<strong> </strong><br />
<strong><br />What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><strong><br /></strong><br />
I think the best thing about being a writer is the maturity and growth that comes out of writing a book with the Lord’s guidance. I learn so much writing with His lead. I also love knowing that God is using my work to help others in different ways. I have deep love and empathy for those who are hurting and I want them to know the Lord and His healing power with great confidence. I love doing speaking engagements because I can connect directly with people and am able to watch them as they get a spiritual concept and watch the proverbial light bulb in their head turn on. I love hearing from men and women who have heard me speak when they are telling me the wonderful things the Lord has been doing in their lives, or when someone gives their life to the Lord at an event, or in reading one of my books. I’m like a little child as I get so excited.<br />
<strong> </strong>The worse thing about being a writer is all the other stuff I have to do outside of writing like spending time building my platform and calling publishers, etc., but that’s all part of the game. I don’t like being so busy that I can’t write or when I get frustrated because it’s too noisy!<br />
<strong><br />What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong><br />
I wrote The Faith of Condoleezza Rice and met a lot of interesting people in that process, but before that project I personally interviewed over 50 leaders in the world and sitting down and asking questions that help me understand their passions and what makes them click is very stimulating.<br />
<strong> <br />What do you like doing when you aren't writing?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />I love to hang out with my two youngest kids and play with them. I have two older kids (who are 30 and 31), and six grandchildren, so I love hanging out with them as well. I play racquetball several times a week with my adult son or others, and it’s really enjoyable for me to read the work of the greats of old, and of course, commentaries! I love to travel with my kids and spend time with my parents. My mom and I love going to yard sales and second-hand stores and my adopted dad loves to go on trips with the kids and I. I also love to cook and bake and have dinner parties. I cooked Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings for forty people one year. It took me a week of cooking and baking, but it was worth it! <br />
<br /><strong>Have you attended any writing courses? If so, did they help?</strong><br />
<br />When I lived in Los Angeles before I moved to Nashville I took a song writing course, but I’ve never attending a writing conference. One of the neat things that came from that was I ended up dating one of the panel experts who managed several top-named country acts and then had someone in Nashville awaiting me when I got there and that was great! Oh, and yes, I got my music heard too (smile). I have taught several writing classes and participated in teaching at conferences and I really loved that a lot. I love to travel by myself too – it’s a nice break from life.<strong> </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br /><strong>So what are your books about?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />Were It Not For Grace: Women After God’s Own Heart – 12 prominent women who have overcome tragedy through their faith.<br />
<br />Redemptive Suffering: Lesson’s Learned From the Garden of Gethsemane – How to overcome suffering and difficult circumstances through Christ’s example in the Garden of Gethsemane (my favourite book of all).<br />
<br />Engaging the Enemy: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare – How to combat the world, the enemy of your soul, and your flesh through God and His Word, the Bible.<br />
<br />A Parent’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare – How to combat the world, the enemy of your child’s soul, and their flesh by taking authority in Christ and His Word, the Bible. Also talks about how to train your children to war and how to specifically pray for them based on their age from being in-vitro to 99-years-old (no, really). <br />
<br />The Faith of Condoleezza Rice – As noted by the title (my biggest seller).<br />
<br />Resurrecting Sissy: A Memoir of God’s Power to Breathe Life Into a Dying Soul – a powerful memoir of my own life where God picked me up out of the miry pit of the world and placed my feet on the Rock!<br />
<br />Finding the Father I Never Had – About how to overcome father-wounds in our lives and learn to lean on God as our Father to heal and meet all our needs. Powerful!<br />
<strong> <br />How do you structure when writing a book - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?</strong><br />
<br />I start writing by getting it all out of my mind and onto paper. I call it “throwing up on paper.” I don’t worry about what order it needs to be in I just get it out and then begin to sort it out. To me, writing is like a jig-saw puzzle; you get all the pieces out, put all the outside pieces together to build the frame, then start filling in as you find pieces that fit.<br />
<strong><br />How do you market your books?</strong><br />
<br />I started off by doing marketing through my speaking engagements, but soon after I finished my first book I was looking at a four-book contract with Crossway Publications and knew that if I was going to reach the masses I’d have to do more. I was always afraid of the cost of marketing, but learned that it’s relatively minor in today’s world. I ended up getting a web-page that I created for free by paying a $25.00 hosting fee every month. I built up my Facebook numbers and joined Twitter. I’m embarrassed to say I just joined Instagram. I guess I’m a late bloomer. I also didn’t wait for the local media where ever I was due to speak contact me. I write press releases informing the media in the area of who I am, what I’ve written or written for, and set up a time to be interviewed by them. I’ve never been turned away. My father is my biggest fan, so he has invested in marketing my books by paying a public relations rep $350 per major city to attain the television, radio, and newspapers interview with me. I also send out a bi-annual newsletter, post-cards on major holidays, and write a blog. I also guest write on the blogs of others. While there are other ways I reach out to other people, those are the biggest, most successful ways. <br />How much do you feel you've improved in the last few years? <br />
<br />My writing has improved tremendously. When I first started writing I wrote from the perspective of research and knowledge I had attained through studying God’s Word (first and foremost) and other sources. I avoided using my sense of humour and quirks that you would notice if we spoke to one another. The problem with that was that people would read my books (I assume) and they’d either get knowledge that’s already available, but presented a different way, or dry. It was contrary to who I was in person; this person that really loved and cared about people and someone who just loves to be witty and even use sarcasm when appropriate, and someone people loved to be around. You wouldn’t see me as that in my first works. These were the things when I was speaking at an event that would endear people to me. Another thing I learned a few books into my career was how to bask in the Lord’s presence every day before sitting down to write. I’ve always had a quiet time, but I deliberately took the time and effort to sit before God and praise Him and let Him write through me to the hearts of those who were hurting, lonely, or lost. This resulted in the book, Redemptive Suffering, Lessons Learned from the Garden of Gethsemane. This book wasn’t a best-seller, but it was powerful, and although it came out in 2006 (I think), I still get letters nine years later from people all over the world who share with me how much it’s ministered to their spirit. To me, that book is a success.<br />
<br />That statement prompts me to ask you, ‘What is success?’ Have you ever said to yourself or others, “If my book only helps one person then it’s worth it!” I know I have – more times than I care to admit. The truth is you want a best-seller, but is it for the right reasons? Sure, let’s not deceive ourselves, who wouldn’t want to see six or nine figure royalty checks? Imagine what you could do for your…er, I mean, God. This challenges us to ask ourselves, who are we really writing our books for? If it’s for the people (unbelievers or believers) we must seek God’s on how to write to reflect His heart and will. There’s no other way to do it. Our focus must be on God and how He wants to use us rather than how we want to use Him in our writing. See the difference? Let me tell you that the answer regarding those two objectives is the difference between selfishness and selflessness, pride and humility, denying Jesus or ourselves, and the ultimate destination of eternal souls. The work of an author is a high calling and is much like that of a teacher in the Bible, who will be held to a higher standard of accountability for what they teach through their writing and presence.<br />
<strong><br />What is your favourite genre?</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>I would say non-fiction first and foremost, but I also have a flare and desire within me that cries out to write realistic fiction. I wrote fiction, short-stories for Focus on the Families teen magazine, Brio, and received a call from Suzie Shellenberger once asking me if a story was true or not. “It’s not,” I answered. “It’s fiction.” I was confused because that’s all I’d ever written for them. “It just seems so real I couldn’t tell,” she answered. I took that as a compliment and an encouragement that there was fiction in my future.<br />
<strong><br />Who was your favourite childhood author?</strong><br />
<strong><br /> </strong>I don’t recall reading much until I was a pre-teen and teen. John Benton, who wrote the biographies for David Wilkerson’s ministry, Teen Challenge, was my favourite author during that stage of my life. What’s amazing about that is I wasn’t a believer at the time, but was thoroughly enthralled with each book. God was planting seeds in the heart of a very hurt and rebellious woman-child.<br />
<br />I had a strong metaphysical bent as a young adult and unbeliever, but when I got saved I dumped all those books. I fell in love with Andrew Murray’s books after I got saved and have been on fire since. I also love to read books about physiology. My favourites on that topic are The Anatomy of the Brain and Teaching with the Brain in Mind. Then of course, as I mentioned earlier, there are commentaries! Usually, if you come to my office or the chair where I do most of my writing you’ll see a stack of open books in a pile that I reading through consecutively.<br />
<br />I’ve always loved reading and I read to my children all the time. I tell my seven-year-old who just became fluent in her ability to read over the last year, that if you can read you can go anywhere in the world just by opening a book.<br />
<strong><br />Who do you act out the scenes in your novels with?</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>With the voices in my head…I’m kidding, I’m kidding, although I do rehearse various scenario’s in my mind repeatedly until I feel like I’ve got the flow of the story per se. I have this one story that’s been building in me for years that I’ve been writing in my mind. I need to put it on paper so I don’t forget it. I also have dreams about stories that I’d like to write one day. I also try to run everything through the Lord for His direction and peace. <br />
<strong></strong><br /><strong>How old where you when you first started writing?</strong><br />
<br />
As early as I picked up a pen and pencil, but I’ve kept a journal since I was eight. I just always knew I would write. It was never a career choice; it was just who I was and what I did not unlike the breathing – something you do unconsciously, but is crucial to your existence. I actually studied psychology and physiology in college.<br />
<strong><br />What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>Peter and Saul/Apostle Paul are both individuals that immediately come to mind and are representative of me as both an unbeliever and believer. I’m grateful that our God chose to put their challenges, stupid decisions, and sins in the Bible for me to reference my own life of universal patterns of human nature by. I think without them (and those of others) we would be even more marred by the illusion that we must be (or look) perfect at all times. I have learned that there is great freedom in admitting that I’ve made mistakes and have grappled with a life of sin; it makes me human to my readers and it leads me to live a more translucent, albeit vulnerable and humble life.<br />
<br /><strong>What do you think makes good writing?</strong><br />
<strong> </strong>1. Being true to God and His Word, the Bible, in all you say. <br />2. Being true to who you are in Christ and don’t try to be Rick Warren or Beth Moore. You’re best at being YOU. <br />3. Using the gifts God’s given you (humour, knowledge, experience)<br />4. Letting Him write through you.<br />5. Research, research, research.<br />6. Colouring outside the box. Don’t copy other people – just do your thing (whatever that looks like) <br />7. Trusting in the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul. <br />Do you believe in writers block? If so, have you ever had to overcome it?<br />
<br />I believe some people have grappled with writer’s block; however, it’s not something I’ve ever personally endured or struggled with in writing. I think there are times when you don’t know what direction to take something in or you keep going back to an area in your text that bothers you and something just doesn’t feel right, so you keep rewriting it, and I think that’s just part of the process of writing. Anxiety, stress, and unresolved sin/issues with Christ, can all be something that draws me off task, so I try to deal with those things before I write.<br />
<strong><br />Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
First of all, don’t give up your day job until you can write full-time and support your family. <br />Second, don’t give up your day job when you get your first advance unless it’s a million dollars (which would be a downright miracle and I’d want to know who your publisher is so I could get a contract) if you have a family to feed.<br />
<br />Next, pray, pray, and pray some more. You’ll be amazed at what God can do with the idea’s He’s given you to write about. <br />Then, don’t put unneeded pressure on yourself. I’ve never met an author who starts at page one of a book and writes all the way through to the last page. It doesn’t work that way. Writing to me is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle; you get all the pieces out and on the table, begin to put the frame or skeleton of the picture together, and then fill in the holes.<br />
<br />No matter how good you are at writing or how broke you are, get an editor to look over your proposals and books. You get what you pay for here. If you’re going to take the time to write a book why would you waste an opportunity God’s given you by drawing the acquisitions editor off task with sentence structure, grammar, or spelling?<br />
<br />That leads me to encourage you not to take constructive criticism personally, but objectively. Find someone you respect who is a more mature believer than you and an experienced author or editor and ask them to be brutally honest with what they see in your work, and then listen to what they say.<br />
<br />Don’t ever, ever, ever put weight in book reviews. Remember, this person is being paid to read a book and write a review. You don’t know who this person is, their beliefs or opinions, or how they truly feel about God, themselves, and others. I had a reviewer give me nothing but praise for four long paragraphs, but in the last sentence wrote: “She could have also talked about…….,” and gave me three stars. Remember, reviewers aren’t professional editors or people in the writing or faith-based industry who know what to look for in a book. They are people in their pyjama's lying in bed eating bon-bons while reading a book they will get paid for reviewing. Thus, they have opinions like all of us, and opinions are formed from a lot of things that have nothing to do with us and are a dime a dozen. If you get hung up on reviews you are never going to make it in this business. Let. It. Go.<br />
<br />Just because one publishing house isn’t interested in publishing your idea doesn’t mean another won’t take it on. Zondervan may have published a book in your genre over the last couple of years and it didn’t do well. That doesn’t mean Bethany House or Tyndall won’t be interested. Many great pieces of work and even more impressive writers of old whose works have become staples on our bookshelves received rejection letters, heard the word ‘No,’ repeatedly, and were discouraged by the criticism of others, but they kept at it. If you’re doing this for the right reasons you will too. I have a book coming out that had been turned down repeatedly by other publishing houses. It’s all about God’s timing too. Seek His wisdom. He is a rewarder to those who diligently do so.<br />
<br />Improve your craft by reading the works of others in your field, by attaining wisdom on writing structure or content at conferences or through school. Do whatever you have to do to do whatever God’s called you to do. That’s my motto.<br />
<br />If you truly believe God has called you to write books and that He’s called you to write specifically on the topic for which your writing, then you’ll keep going and won’t give up. Put your trust in Him and He will direct you where He wants you to be. Lean not on your own understanding (literally means ‘intellect’), but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.<br />
<br />Finally, keep your eyes on the Prize and your feet on the Rock and you will not falter. <br />
<strong></strong><strong></strong><br />
<strong>Thank you for your time, Leslie, it was an absolute pleasure to hear your thoughts.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DiIu2cZ70UOBYSbKgKrYp9PJz6jnkaKkBa1J5fKoGELcfFbyYBg0G70MgbOokuoy96oOyvynbLXce0hAcfL1KQAFKNOFbkhsIGWXhL7Obft7NC2Alv1WzuBGp6K9Hu-eJ6da8e1bQuo/s1600/Redemptive+Suffering+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DiIu2cZ70UOBYSbKgKrYp9PJz6jnkaKkBa1J5fKoGELcfFbyYBg0G70MgbOokuoy96oOyvynbLXce0hAcfL1KQAFKNOFbkhsIGWXhL7Obft7NC2Alv1WzuBGp6K9Hu-eJ6da8e1bQuo/s320/Redemptive+Suffering+Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH19JaCRjo8SJLJKjaV5erlj4Ap68Itl3GrhlaHIcG0MH6GHPLI7foQ8XYBakoetGGcGjUCIi3wiHr1UisJ4xHSSGNNFe2iWpqsDEz4zxLLN2WaxUEOcqFt3V1LsXFQe-4BGm76YDnU_c/s1600/RS+Cover+Black+Typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH19JaCRjo8SJLJKjaV5erlj4Ap68Itl3GrhlaHIcG0MH6GHPLI7foQ8XYBakoetGGcGjUCIi3wiHr1UisJ4xHSSGNNFe2iWpqsDEz4zxLLN2WaxUEOcqFt3V1LsXFQe-4BGm76YDnU_c/s320/RS+Cover+Black+Typewriter.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSG-B3NlUSmVl6BUOGCfYuc-wrv0LgUfOWT2EjZOanIjB5kPo3yOMXolKkQxPVc_efzhPfykio2TIJcVZRTc_oxfs8rZdsG31nhEUn2b5hrNTKFDLdD9oqKSPdasIJQ7L29wM78R3UyE/s1600/Condoleezza+Book+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSG-B3NlUSmVl6BUOGCfYuc-wrv0LgUfOWT2EjZOanIjB5kPo3yOMXolKkQxPVc_efzhPfykio2TIJcVZRTc_oxfs8rZdsG31nhEUn2b5hrNTKFDLdD9oqKSPdasIJQ7L29wM78R3UyE/s200/Condoleezza+Book+Cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong>David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-62399834740449748442016-03-30T04:14:00.002-07:002016-03-30T04:17:47.689-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH ALISON STUART<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKF2dwkgkaVknDkgMFKTnFUGsp0YGCB7JR7J63P5l4Z5e9WXwNzssCbEuVa6PTjeIWnjDWLL0LyL4pCvLmFwTxhNMD_NlyRATx70DR87b991bZg0xNWf-zPtsC0VKdDe1bAyRGziFYp3A/s1600/Alison-8125-LR-Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKF2dwkgkaVknDkgMFKTnFUGsp0YGCB7JR7J63P5l4Z5e9WXwNzssCbEuVa6PTjeIWnjDWLL0LyL4pCvLmFwTxhNMD_NlyRATx70DR87b991bZg0xNWf-zPtsC0VKdDe1bAyRGziFYp3A/s320/Alison-8125-LR-Color.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am thrilled to announce that author Alison Stuart features next in the series. </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Tell us about your first novel? When did you start writing and why?</strong><br />
<br />
A skiing accident in 1992 resulted in a dislocated shoulder and a week snow bound in our ski lodge. I started writing the book that became BY THE SWORD which, despite some fabulous contest success was eventually published in 2007. It was revised, re-edited and re-released last year as the first in my Guardians of the Crown series.<br />
<br />
<strong>Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m a hybrid… traditionally published through the digital imprint of Harlequin Australia and indie published.<br />
<br />
<strong>As a self-published author, have you tried the traditional route?</strong><br />
<br />
Many rejections later! I kept being told that my books were too historical to be historical romance and too romantic to be historical. Thank heavens for epublishing! I found temporary (but not terribly happy homes with small press publishers) and I find it ironic that I was eventually picked up by Harlequin!<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you deal with rejection?</strong><br />
<br />
I allow myself to sulk for 24 hours and then pick myself up and start again.<br />
<br />
<strong>How many books have you written?</strong><br />
<br />
I have 6 full length historical novels. 1 novella and an anthology of short stories. <br />
Most of my historicals are set in the English Civil War period but I do have a Great War story and a Regency Romance for variety.<br />
<br />
<strong>What are you working on now?</strong><br />
<br />
Something different! A cosy mystery series set in Singapore in 1910.<br />
<br />
<strong>Any future projects?</strong><br />
<br />
I think the Harriet Gordon mysteries will be my major project for a little while.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong><br />
<br />
I think the hero of THE KING’S MAN, Kit Lovell is probably my favourite. He is my ‘bad boy’ who has sold his honour and integrity. Although the motive may be pure, he is a lost soul. <br />
<br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />
My Escape Publishing books are digital only and available from all good eretailers.<br />
My indies are available in print and digital from Amazon.<br />
<br />
For full details visit my website - <a href="http://www.alisonstuart.com/books-and-stories.html">http://www.alisonstuart.com/books-and-stories.html</a><br />
<br />
<strong>Which authors have enthralled you?</strong><br />
<br />
Authors who have pinned me to my chair? Daphne Du Maurier probably remains my ‘go back to author’. <br />
<br />
<strong>What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />
Without a doubt…. The young adult historical novels of Rosemary Sutcliff. Through her I learned that blend of history with human experience.<br />
<br />
<strong>What book are you currently reading?</strong><br />
<br />
I am on a Lindsey Davis bender at the moment. I love historical mysteries and Lindsey Davis’ Falco (and Albia) series are my listening pleasure on the long commute to and from work.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you read mostly?</strong><br />
<br />
This might sound weird… in the car. I love audio books. <br />
<br />
<strong>How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
<br />
I am a terribly slow reader these days. Apart from my one audio book a month, I probably manage to physically read one book every couple of months!<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I have a ‘Room of My Own’ (as recommended by Virginia Woolf). As soon as the first son left home I snaffled his bedroom and carved out my own space dominated by a large antique cedar desk that has journeyed with me since I was 16.<br />
<br />
<strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />
Not nearly enough… Apart from the fact I still have a ‘day job’, I aim to write for 4-5 hours a day. More often than not I fall a long way short of that!<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<br />
Yes. I think if I tried to write outside what I know, my voice would lack veracity.<br />
<br />
<strong>What challenges do you face when writing? Are you easily distracted?</strong><br />
<br />
Biggest distraction of all is social media and yes I am very easily distracted… ooh… a shiny thing…<br />
<br />
<strong>As an author are you self-employed or do you have another job?</strong><br />
<br />
I work two days a week as the Company Secretary of a not for profit (I am a recovering lawyer by trade!).<br />
<br />
<strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong><br />
<br />
How passionate I am about it! And also that total strangers (who aren’t my friends and relatives) seem to like my writing.<br />
<br />
<strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
Best: The creative process… the knowledge that what I am writing is my small legacy for posterity.<br />
Worst: The length of time it takes me to write a book.<br />
<br />
<strong>What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Every time I release a book… but looking back it was probably discovering that my very first book (now BY THE SWORD) had been shortlisted for the now defunct Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize (it didn’t win, but in its day that was a massive contest for published and unpublished authors and I was a very raw unpublished author).<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you market your books?</strong><br />
<br />
Who was it who said 50% of my marketing works but I don’t know which 50%? I try to present myself as professionally as I can through my website, blog, social media interactions. Occasional book promotions and contests.<br />
<br />
Most importantly, I have an email newsletter which is gaining a little traction – after all those are the readers you want – the ones who are genuinely interested in you. In fact I am running a contest at the moment… if you sign up to my newsletter before March 15 I have a swag of goodies on offer… <a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0d923dde8/">http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0d923dde8/</a>?<br />
<br />
Best promotion? Your next book…<br />
<br />
<strong>What do you like doing when you aren't writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Needlework.<br />
<br />
<strong>Have you attended any writing courses?</strong><br />
<br />
Best thing I did was to join Romance Writers of Australia. I would not miss their annual conference for the world. <br />
<br />
I have done various courses both in person and online. Some are better than others but I don’t think you should ever be arrogant enough to think as a writer you know it all. You should always be honing your craft.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you own an e-reader?</strong><br />
<br />
I am a Kindle convert. Not only do I have a Kindle, I also use the Kindle app on both my phone and iPad. I love ebooks and the fact I can pick up any device and it will sync to where I left off. <br />
<br />
<strong>What's your favourite season and why?</strong><br />
<br />
Downunder we are just going into autumn. It is a season of stillness, soft light and dying heat.<br />
<br />
<strong>Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
<br />
Write your next book. Take the time you need to make it the very best you can. Don’t rush to get it out because it will show!<br />
<br />
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you for your time, Alison, it was an absolute pleasure to speak to you.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMJKtFhGEoVcZ5gRdXpqHXXeBQ4OJbKY1J8ZGStBbjJYb-N9ulGVs-uqjVouJAjN2wfZh1-d9QLb8fL0pOwR2ZZ5W_T2CwBbwYJCTg_WP4cSH1VLPA7yCakmKQDgroQ0nWNUHSHcn4eA/s1600/C0F22CEA-0F0D-4D63-8EC6-A13137E5B2A2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMJKtFhGEoVcZ5gRdXpqHXXeBQ4OJbKY1J8ZGStBbjJYb-N9ulGVs-uqjVouJAjN2wfZh1-d9QLb8fL0pOwR2ZZ5W_T2CwBbwYJCTg_WP4cSH1VLPA7yCakmKQDgroQ0nWNUHSHcn4eA/s320/C0F22CEA-0F0D-4D63-8EC6-A13137E5B2A2.JPG" width="203" /></a></div>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Alison Stuart’s latest book EXILE’S RETURN is out now.</strong> <br />
<br />
The breath-taking conclusion to Alison Stuart’s English Civil War trilogy introduces a heroine with nothing left to lose and a hero with everything to gain…<br />
<br />
England, 1659: Following the death of Cromwell, a new king is poised to ascend the throne of England. One by one, those once loyal to the crown begin to return ...<br />
Imprisoned, exiled and tortured, fugitive Daniel Lovell returns to England, determined to kill the man who murdered his father. But his plans for revenge must wait, as the King has one last mission for him. <br />
Agnes Fletcher's lover is dead, and when his two orphaned children are torn from her care by their scheming guardian, she finds herself alone and devastated by the loss. Unwilling to give up, Agnes desperately seeks anyone willing to accompany her on a perilous journey to save the children and return them to her care. She didn't plan on meeting the infamous Daniel Lovell. She didn't plan on falling in love.<br />
Thrown together with separate quests – and competing obligations – Daniel and Agnes make their way from London to the English countryside, danger at every turn. When they are finally given the opportunity to seize everything they ever hoped for, will they find the peace they crave, or will their fledgling love be a final casualty of war?<br />
<br />
Amazon:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Return-Guardians-Crown-Book-ebook/dp/B01AL792A0">http://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Return-Guardians-Crown-Book-ebook/dp/B01AL792A0</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exiles-Return-Guardians-Crown-Book-ebook/dp/B01AL792A0">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exiles-Return-Guardians-Crown-Book-ebook/dp/B01AL792A0</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/Exiles-Return-Guardians-Crown-Book-ebook/dp/B01AL792A0/">http://www.amazon.com.au/Exiles-Return-Guardians-Crown-Book-ebook/dp/B01AL792A0/</a><br />
iBooks: <br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/exiles-return/id1068055035?mt=11">https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/exiles-return/id1068055035?mt=11</a><br />
Google Play: <br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Alison_Stuart_Exile_s_Return?id=E6xxCwAAQBAJ">https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Alison_Stuart_Exile_s_Return?id=E6xxCwAAQBAJ</a><br />
Kobo: <br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/exile-s-return-9">https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/exile-s-return-9</a><br />
Nook: <br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/exiles-return-alison-stuart/1123346987">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/exiles-return-alison-stuart/1123346987</a><br />
<br />
ABOUT ALISON<br />
Award winning Australian author, Alison Stuart learned her passion from history from her father. She has been writing stories since her teenage years but it was not until 2007 that her first full length novel was published. A past president of the Romance Writers of Australia, Alison has now published seven full length historical romances and a collection of her short stories. Many of her stories have been shortlisted for international awards and BY THE SWORD won the 2008 EPIC Award for Best Historical Romance. <br />
<br />
Her inclination for writing about soldier heroes may come from her varied career as a lawyer in the military and fire services. These days when she is not writing she is travelling and routinely drags her long suffering husband around battlefields and castles.<br />
<br />
Readers can connect with Alison at her website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-51558843860203424622016-03-22T02:23:00.000-07:002016-03-22T02:23:54.701-07:0004/20/99 - an account of the Columbine High School massace<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwsGGN_-kwGm8UeZ7PP1XS5ovU-Y-3d255xjSUj2tVgXd0v-f7xO0lYM4VHR1Xppdv4dSXkQst9pLtJgQhmW4MSKQTRlT-D0M3eYW3yKVh6Y9kTSLEX-xFyoziijPYTVIqLGsORZEtaw/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwsGGN_-kwGm8UeZ7PP1XS5ovU-Y-3d255xjSUj2tVgXd0v-f7xO0lYM4VHR1Xppdv4dSXkQst9pLtJgQhmW4MSKQTRlT-D0M3eYW3yKVh6Y9kTSLEX-xFyoziijPYTVIqLGsORZEtaw/s400/1.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
OUT NOW FOR THE KINDLE!<br />
<br />
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="5fi4p-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5fi4p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5fi4p-0-0"><span data-text="true">04/20/99 - is an account of the Columbine High School massacre.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="3cn1v-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3cn1v-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3cn1v-0-0"><span data-text="true">On Tuesday 20th April, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two seniors at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, drove to school, planted two propane bombs and readied themselves for death and destruction. The bombs failed, so the pair walked into the school with firearms and pipe bombs and murdered twelve students and one teacher. 04/20/99 is a date of the worst single act of murder at a school in U.S. history, until the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="2h405-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2h405-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2h405-0-0"><span data-text="true">
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="3gmra-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3gmra-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3gmra-0-0"><span data-text="true">Amazon UK</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="2u8h8-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2u8h8-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2u8h8-0-0"><span data-text="true">http://goo.gl/Zku80T</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="bq3ij-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bq3ij-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bq3ij-0-0"><span data-text="true">
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="5sdcl-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5sdcl-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5sdcl-0-0"><span data-text="true">Amazon.com</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="3acsm-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3acsm-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3acsm-0-0"><span data-text="true">http://goo.gl/M0wYGc</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="4iarb-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4iarb-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4iarb-0-0"><span data-text="true">
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="a80rh-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a80rh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a80rh-0-0"><span data-text="true">An excerpt:</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a80rh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="a80rh-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span> </div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="5teno-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5teno-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5teno-0-0"><span data-text="true">Rachel Scott and her friend Richard Castaldo, both seventeen, were the first casualties. Scott was shot through the left temple and chest. Castaldo was hit five times in the left arm, chest, back and abdomen. He didn't know it but a bullet had smashed one of his vertebrae that would leave him permanently paralysed. Castaldo jerked as the bullets struck him, fell and played dead.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="e21l2-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e21l2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="e21l2-0-0"><span data-text="true">Seventeen-year-old Mark Taylor was shot through his thigh. ''Oh my God! Help me!'' he screamed before the rest of Harris's 9mm expended itself in his chest and back. Another bullet hit fifteen-year-old Michael Johnson in the leg, then another struck his jaw, but he managed to find cover. While Taylor lay bleeding, he claims he saw Scott attempt to get up but Harris's second shot struck her in the head.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="65j9i-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="65j9i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="65j9i-0-0"><span data-text="true">''This is fucking awesome!'' Harris shouted gleefully. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="bnvf9" data-offset-key="1g6e3-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1g6e3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1g6e3-0-0"><span data-text="true">He twitched the rifle towards a group of three students clambering up the dirt track leading to the steps, Daniel Rohrbough, Lance Kirklin and Sean Graves. The boys thought the black-clad pair were firing paint-ball guns in some sort of prank. A 9mm bullet shattered fifteen-year-old Daniel Rohrbough's left knee. As he stumbled, Harris fired two more shots: it hit Rohrbough in the chest and stomach. The bullet to his chest shattered his heart. Sixteen-year-old Kirklin tried to catch his falling friend only to be hit in the foot, leg and chest by more of the deadly fire from the same clip. Graves felt a hammer blow to his body. He had been shot three times in the abdomen and back and still managed to reach the cafeteria door before a round to his leg knocked him down. He couldn't feel his legs and seemed to think he had been shot by a tranquilizer gun.</span></span></div>
</div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-51376718460353108702016-03-17T01:45:00.000-07:002016-03-17T01:53:08.274-07:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH PRUE BATTEN<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalcRHqHc45jq-mgizqmuFjYneupEY_jreZA3-NmabVYF7y0NwBeK5GfjufxbeEATvZss6QBsxiaLLTaMOuYqMv8oluQe1ZHj7folovzLTSJrngfUCTksV23I120uBgVxIn38WUmY5A-g/s1600/PrueBatten_Headshot2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalcRHqHc45jq-mgizqmuFjYneupEY_jreZA3-NmabVYF7y0NwBeK5GfjufxbeEATvZss6QBsxiaLLTaMOuYqMv8oluQe1ZHj7folovzLTSJrngfUCTksV23I120uBgVxIn38WUmY5A-g/s320/PrueBatten_Headshot2016.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am thrilled to announce that author Prue Batten features next in the series. As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Prue, are you self-published or traditional?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Self-published.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">How many books have you written? </span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve written eight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Four are historical fantasy, a quartet called
The Chronicles of Eirie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is followed by historical fiction, a
trilogy called The Gisborne Saga.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And then the first in a new hist.fict trilogy
called The Triptych Chronicle, a novel entitled Tobias. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What are you currently working now?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I am currently writing Guillaume, Book Two of
The Triptych Chronicle – my ninth book.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Any future projects?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The final in the afore-mentioned trilogy, then
a collaboration about transportation and the convict days of Australia. The
setting will be partly UK, partly Tasmania, where I live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And I have a collaborative partnership with a
miniature press in the USA called bopressminiaturebooks.com where I write
short-stories for bespoke publication.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Who is your favourite character of your books
and why?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Oh Tobias! Hands down! He’s courageous, loyal,
witty and writes the most perfect <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chansons.</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Where can readers find your books?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As of this month, only on Amazon as my novels
are taking part in a marketing campaign for a week from March 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
and then perhaps further campaigns.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Which authors have enthralled you?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So many.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">But off the top of my head – in my youth,
Rosemary Sutcliffe, Geoffrey Trease, Henry Treece, and Monica Edwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Then in adulthood, an eclectic group – for
downright wit and irony, Jilly Cooper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For the most superb fantasy, JRR Tolkein (I
carried all three of LOTR right across Asia). More recently in my life, I
discovered Juliet Marillier and she remains my only other all-time favourite
fantasy writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For breadth of the contemporary family
condition, superb characterization and settings, Rosamunde Pilcher and to a
certain extent, Joanna Trollope and Joanne Harris.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And then, for excellence beyond reproach in
historical fiction, Dorothy Dunnett. No one surpasses her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In classics –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elisabeth Gaskell, Jane Austen and Joseph Conrad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In poetry and prose <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everything </i></b>written by William Shakespeare and by WB Yeats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And then there are the fine independent
authors of the last eight years of my life – SJA Turney, Gordon Doherty,
Matthew Harffy, Ann Swinfen, Anna Belfrage, Alex Martin and Jan Ruth to name
just a few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Just a few, but, boy what a brilliant few! </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What writer or book has had the biggest
influence on your work?</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Lymond Saga and The House of Niccolo by
Dorothy Dunnett. The literary and historical breadth of the work is
breathtaking.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What book are you currently reading?</span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Praetorian – the Price of Treason by SJA
Turney, set a hundred years-ish after the birth of Christ in what seems to be a
diseased Rome. I know little to nothing of Roman history so the works of the
new writers are catching me by surprise.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">It's an era that never interested me. Then, I went to Bath in my teenage years, spent a summer holiday in Somerset and went to a museum and saw Roman mosaic's and artefacts for the first time. It was a life that I had never imagined here in Britain. I was dazzled. And I was hooked.</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Where do you read mostly?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In bed at night.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Where do you do your writing?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In bed in the dark hours or else on the window
seat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Do you agree with the statement: write about
what you know?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">No. Historical fiction writers learn what they
know from research. Is that really writing about what we know? If we only wrote
what we know, we would be writing about the mundane life we lead in the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
century.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What challenges do you face when writing? Are
you easily distracted?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Yes. I’m essentially an outdoors person and
feel short-changed if my daylight hours are not spent outside in the fresh air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What has surprised you most about writing?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">How time flies…</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Yes, I'm with you on that one!</span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What are the best and worst things about being
a writer?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Knowing I can do it is the best. The feeling
of creating – it’s a God-given art form. The worst thing about being a writer
is finishing a book. It’s a form of loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What is the most exciting experience you've
had as a result of writing?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Apart from all the new friends I have made,
and the kindred spirits from across the globe? Very consistent rankings in Top
100’s on Amazon.co.uk. A silver medal for fantasy from the USA and sundry other
awards for my work.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Wonderful achievement's, Prue.</span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So what do you like doing when you aren't
writing?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’m a gardener, a swimmer, a lover of boats
and a kayaker and I have a demanding dog…</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Have you attended any writing courses?</span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">No, I haven’t. However, with my first novel,
The Stumpwork Robe, I sought the editorial advice of a London consultancy
called <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cornerstones</i></b> <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Literary Consultancy.</i></b> They worked
with me right through to the POD publication of that novel and at one point, I
was listed as one of their Hot Twenty Five (new authors with a future). The
grounding given to me by more than two years’ work with Cornerstones has stood
me in good stead.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Could you give us a sentence/short para of your books.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Here are two of the nine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Byzantium stretches a weakening grip across Eastern
Europe, trying in vain to hold onto all that has made it an empire. Tyrian
purple, the unique dye that denotes its power, is held under close guard by the
imperial house.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">However a Jewish merchant from Venice has sourced an
illegal supply and Tobias the dwarf minstrel and his twin brother, Tomas, begin
a dangerous journey to retrieve the purple and deliver it into the merchant’s
eager hands.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">But is this supply as secret as they had hoped?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Trade is cut throat, men are expendable, money is
power and Constantinople provides the exotic backdrop during a time of
scimitars and shadows.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">This is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tobias</b>
– the story of a minstrel and a broken life…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></i><span lang="EN-AU">And for Guillaume:</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">The Church – powerful and moneyed.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">The Heretics – zealous and poor.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Mercantile endeavour – merciless and cut-throat .<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Lyon – a city that might claim to cast the seeds of
reformed thinking upon the world.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Guillaume of Anjou, formerly an archer fighting with
other Angevins in the Third Crusade, is now the business manager and guardsman
for a successful merchant house. In his new position, he perhaps not so unwittingly
steps into and out of the shadowed world of trade and secrets in Lyon.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU">Guillaume carries a weight in his hands – a weight
that may well light the flame of the greatest philosophical and spiritual
change Europe will experience, so that word and sword will cut a swathe through
the fabric of life in Lyon.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Very nice, thank you for sharing.</span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">If you don't mind me asking... how do you structure your work
- do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see
where it goes from there?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">An outline. A one page plot line made of
thoughts. I am essentially a ‘write by the seat of my pants’ kind of person.
Dot to dot writing is not for me.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">How do you market your books?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Via social media, the media and advertising.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What social media platforms do you use?</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b> </div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.pruebatten.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.pruebatten.com</span></a> My blog is part of my
website.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/prue.batten.writer"><span style="color: blue;">www.facebook.com/prue.batten.writer</span></a>
I love to chat on Facebook on my professional page and my private wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pruebatten"><span style="color: blue;">www.pinterest.com/pruebatten</span></a> I
am a visual person. Pinterest is a vast visual resource for the medieval era
and for my private interests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Hmmm - I think I need to use pinterest a little more. I like visuals too.</span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What is your favourite genre?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hist.fict and myth and legend-based fantasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">
How old where you when you first started
writing?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Grade Three – so six?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">What scene in your writing has made you laugh
the hardest or cry the most?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Shall we go with cry? In Dorothy Dunnett’s Pawn
in Frankincense, set in the court of Roxelana Sultan in Constantinople (16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
century), there is a chess game, with people as the pieces. As each move is won,
so that person is put to death. Amongst the pieces are defenseless little
children who are the keys to the plot of the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">My heart was in my mouth the first time I read
that piece. I sobbed at the end. Dunnett wrote more than twenty pages of
agonizing pain and yet it is not once overly-emotive in its wordage. But the
pathos hits one in the belly like a train. I have read that same piece time and
again and whilst I no longer cry, I am in awe of Dunnett’s skill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Do you believe in writers block?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">No. I believe in slow periods which may be
caused by outside influences. My advice is to write anything at all because <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this too shall pass.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 11pt;">There are greater writers than me with far
more eloquent words to say on the craft of writing. Google them.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you for your time, Prue, it was an absolute pleasure to speak to you.</strong> David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-90777372970949819312016-03-10T02:48:00.000-08:002016-03-10T03:01:28.126-08:00AUTHOR POSTLIGHT WITH NIGEL SEED<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QtZHAGYSLOJDlIbLrnfVK8M9_qQwWbPLLZw1uyqXqBzjYYxbPtWyRxHUXWcqf_-i8WVfeGFFFYtMZHtWoLp_N6-qgM_O5CeLN9owkmqJTDPktZt758EzT3cLVS8ypEqq3I2VB2UgQv0/s1600/Author+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QtZHAGYSLOJDlIbLrnfVK8M9_qQwWbPLLZw1uyqXqBzjYYxbPtWyRxHUXWcqf_-i8WVfeGFFFYtMZHtWoLp_N6-qgM_O5CeLN9owkmqJTDPktZt758EzT3cLVS8ypEqq3I2VB2UgQv0/s400/Author+Photo.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am delighted to announce that author Nigel Seed features next in the series. As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Tell us about your first novel? When did you start writing and why?</strong><br />
<br />
Having retired and moved to Spain I had time to do all the reading I wanted. When reading a book about the German V weapons of World War 2, I came across a statement that the Germans wanted to strike America, but did not have the technology. That started me thinking about a legend I heard when serving with the Army in Germany. With a little research I put together three German technologies of WW2 and I had the basis for my story. It is due to be reissued April 11th 2016.<br />
<br />
<strong>Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<br />
I struggled to find an agent or a publisher who would look at my books seriously so I self-published the first three. I then found a publisher who could see the merit in what I had written and we signed contracts. So my books are being re-edited and reissued.<br />
<br />
<strong>Could you give us an introduction on each of your books?</strong><br />
<br />
V4 – Vengeance Delayed<br />
<br />
Major Jimmy Wilson, late of the Royal Engineers, has been obliged to leave the rapidly shrinking British Army. He needs a job but they are thin on the ground even for a highly capable Army Officer. Then he is offered the chance to go to Northern Germany to search for the last great secret of World War 2, a hidden U Boat base. Once he unravels the mystery he is asked to help to spirit two submarines away from under the noses of the German government, to be the central exhibits in a Russian museum. But then the betrayal begins and a seventy year old horror unfolds.<br />
<br />
Golden Eights<br />
<br />
In 1940, with the British army in disarray after the evacuation from Dunkirk, invasion seemed a very real possibility. As a precaution, the Government decided to protect the national gold reserves by sending most of the bullion to Canada on fast ships that ran the gauntlet of the U boat fleets. But a lot of gold bars and other treasures were hidden in England. In the fog of war, this treasure was lost. Now, finally, a clue has emerged that might lead to the hiding place. The Government needs the gold back if the country is not to plunge into a huge financial crisis. Major Jim Wilson has been tasked to find it. He and his small team start the search, unaware that there is a traitor watching their every move and intent on acquiring the gold, at any cost.<br />
<br />
Two Into One<br />
<br />
Following his return from Washington the Prime Minister’s behaviour has changed. Based on his previous relationship with the PM, Major Jim Wilson is called in to investigate. What he finds is shocking and threatens the peace of the world. But now he must find a way to put things right and there is very little time to do it. His small team sets out on a dangerous quest that takes them from the hills of Cumbria to the Cayman Islands and Dubai, but others are watching and playing for high stakes.<br />
<br />
160 Degrees East<br />
<br />
Major Jim Wilson and his two men are summoned at short notice to Downing Street. The US Government has a problem and they have asked for help from Wilson and his small team. Reluctantly Jim agrees, but he is unaware of the deceit and betrayal awaiting him from people he thought of as friends. From the wild hills of Wales to the frozen shores of Russia and on to the mountains of British Columbia Jim and his men have to fight to survive, to complete their mission and to right a terrible wrong.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZ5Ne8Ch10DdZFuBIymxVmk9IzCq-7W-z1dqXX1I23AxA94RKhcHZJArv4LSzBL6XY-IXF1FtFvxNnWpXBKhwGkW-bYl08TX6bxcHbXnHwMHQD1w7nEWqhRdibjRay_-VmGOHK8ScfcU/s1600/v4-nov12+version+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZ5Ne8Ch10DdZFuBIymxVmk9IzCq-7W-z1dqXX1I23AxA94RKhcHZJArv4LSzBL6XY-IXF1FtFvxNnWpXBKhwGkW-bYl08TX6bxcHbXnHwMHQD1w7nEWqhRdibjRay_-VmGOHK8ScfcU/s320/v4-nov12+version+4.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p><strong></strong></o:p></span></span><br />
<strong>I can see Jim Wilson as a popular character, I'll definitely be looking out for more of his adventures. </strong><br />
<strong>Any future projects?</strong><br />
<br />I have ideas for future books. Maybe a second volume of children’s bedtime stories and maybe a sixth book in the action novel series. I also have an idea for a science fiction story that I would like to try and write.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong><br />
<br />
A tricky question. In my adventure series I have a group of three lead characters who work together. I could not single one of them out as my favourite. Though I am quite fond of Megan, the female character I brought into my fourth book “160 Degrees East”.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />
The first in the series is available for pre-order on Amazon and other good websites, such as Waterstones and Barnes and Noble. The others will follow during 2016.<br />
<br />
<strong>Which authors have enthralled you?</strong><br />
<br />
Tough question, I like so many. <br />
<br />
Bernard Cornwell has to be up in the lead, his Sharpe books are excellent and the other historical novels he has done are at very nearly the same standard. I also really enjoyed his first non-fiction book “Waterloo”.<br />
<br />
I admire the writing of James Patterson. The way he draws his characters and the short punchy chapters that keep the story moving are great.<br />
<br />
Clive Cussler writes books with really inventive plots that I admire.<br />
<br />
<strong>Apparently Waterloo is to be re-issued because of some rather horrendous errors.<br />What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />
I have read a lot of good books over the years and all of them have influenced me. As I started writing seriously I read Stephen King’s book “On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft.” That helped a lot.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<br />
We hollowed out the mountain beneath our house and created a study down there so I have somewhere to hide away from everyone to work. If I really have to, I also let it be used as an overflow bedroom when we have guests.<br />
<br />
<strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />
I am not a disciplined writer. I write when the urge comes upon me. Some days I write nothing. On other days I have started at ten in the morning and gone straight through until three in the morning the next day, when I had an important passage to write.<br />
<br />
<strong>What challenges do you face when writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Once I have the idea or plot sorted out in my head I am able to focus on it quite firmly. Until I have that sorted out I can be distracted.<br />
<br />
<strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I was surprised at how seriously people took me when I told them I had started writing. I expected some gentle mockery, but it never happened.<br />
<br />
<strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
The best is when an idea starts to work and I can see how my heroes are going to overcome the massive problem I have given them. The worst is being rejected out of hand by agents with no sensible explanation of why.<br />
<br />
<strong>What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I think the writing course with John Gordon Davis has been the best so far. Sitting with like-minded people discussing our books and how to improve them. Running a close second must be opening the box and seeing my book in print for the first time.<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you structure when writing a book - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?</strong><br />
<br />
I have used both methods. For my first book I just started and went where my imagination took me. For the others I have written an outline, though only about two or three pages, just to see if the story hung together before I launched into it. Even when I have the outline the story develops as I go through it.<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you market your books?</strong><br />
<br />
I have a Facebook and a Goodreads page. I have put up posters around this area in cafes and bars. I have submitted my books to bloggers who review books and I have an author page on Amazon. These methods were not very successful and I am hoping for much more when my publisher’s marketing plan kicks in.<br />
<br />
<strong>Personally I don't have the money to do big sponsoring posts on facebook and twitter. I've tried Goodreads and not much happened. It was difficult to see what option worked best. Posters? Interesting idea. I might try a local library and see if they'll host me, but it's nice to read about other ideas.</strong><br />
<strong>How much do you feel you've improved in the last few years?</strong> <br />
<br />
Considerably. It takes time to learn the writing craft, to spot the mistakes and correct them. The only way I know to improve is to do the work and then let others criticize freely. I have a small group of friends who have agreed to do that for me and it helps.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who do you act out the scenes in your novels with?</strong> <br />
<br />
I don’t act out the scenes, but I do run them in my head like a movie. If they work on the screen I am watching in there, I go and write them.<br />
<br />
<strong>What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong> <br />
<br />
A fairly ordinary person performing extraordinary actions.<br />
<br />
<strong>What scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?</strong><br />
<br />
Not an easy one to answer. There are a number of action scenes I am very pleased with. There are two sex scenes that make me smile as I imagine my kids reading them and being horrified at what Dad has written.<br />
<br />
<strong>In my unpublished Robin Hood story I wrote his death scene. I wanted it extremely emotional. I re-wrote it and carried on until I made myself cry. I just wanted that impact.</strong><br />
<strong>What do you think makes good writing?</strong> <br />
<br />
I think unless the author cares about his characters the writing can appear wooden or perfunctory. Plots must be credible and possible. Having incredible escapes will put the reader off as I feel that is lazy writing.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you believe in writers block? If so, have you ever had to overcome it?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I do believe that a writer can get stuck trying to work out how to make the next plot twist work in a credible way. I find that if I get stuck in one book I leave it alone for a while, for my subconscious to work on the issue, while I write something for one of the other projects I have on the go.<br />
<br />
<strong>Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong> <br />
<br />
Tell the story you want to read. If you believe in your work, don’t let anyone discourage you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you for your time, Nigel, all the best for your writing.</strong>David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-44285960623421389922016-03-09T07:58:00.000-08:002016-03-09T07:58:04.845-08:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH KEITH MCARDLE<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIH0V1hIu-UyhGStfzFHI9_jyxQkcpbAvBJkCR2HpHKBvTLIHoPycoDYleeoimaY9dGO7LHaQSnVwlo3ZOY998GGrE6E90WzIYGQ0DEfa-R7nYDS2G9BzipOUrNCjowaeXLkxX9LeCpoI/s1600/299732_501117749945783_282959109_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIH0V1hIu-UyhGStfzFHI9_jyxQkcpbAvBJkCR2HpHKBvTLIHoPycoDYleeoimaY9dGO7LHaQSnVwlo3ZOY998GGrE6E90WzIYGQ0DEfa-R7nYDS2G9BzipOUrNCjowaeXLkxX9LeCpoI/s320/299732_501117749945783_282959109_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I</strong><strong> am delighted to announce that author Keith McArdle features next in the series.</strong><strong> As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Keith, could you give us a short introduction to your books?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Tour To Midgard will drag you (not to mention an Australian SAS patrol) from the modern world, kicking and screaming, into the tenth century and Viking battles to the death!<br />
<br />
The Reckoning will pit you shoulder to shoulder with everyday people struggling to survive after Australia's surprise invasion by Indonesia.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXubpcWWrOUrzjPTlWgvW5fWKO6ZmtMG4Kz1ur0M0LmQa6Dm_N_mIPZYfK9OIqb3aY6GgtV8itv1zzTbPSJFYYfxH4h0Q-tAU3XpMiMjj9dhe33JyJVuVnBO3MHc4scVvjziBYUE-pv4/s1600/The+Reckoning+cover+%2528large%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXubpcWWrOUrzjPTlWgvW5fWKO6ZmtMG4Kz1ur0M0LmQa6Dm_N_mIPZYfK9OIqb3aY6GgtV8itv1zzTbPSJFYYfxH4h0Q-tAU3XpMiMjj9dhe33JyJVuVnBO3MHc4scVvjziBYUE-pv4/s320/The+Reckoning+cover+%2528large%2529.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you structure when writing a book - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?</strong><br />
<strong></strong> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Probably the best way I’ve ever heard described the differences in how a book is planned was spoken by George R. R. Martin. He said there was the architect and the gardener. The architect held a clear, incredibly detailed blueprint in his/her hand prior to starting work. Even before pen touched paper (so to speak), the architect knew exactly where the last nail would be driven to finish the house. The gardener on the other hand starts with a seed in their hand. They plant the seed, water it, fertilise it and watch it slowly grow. The gardener knows what species of tree the seed is, they know what the tree will look like when it is fully grown, but they sit back and watch as it grows. I like that description. I’m a gardener. <br /> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>How do you market your books?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Mainly through Facebook. I am about to dabble with Bookbub within the next 6-12 months and of course word-of-mouth (a hell of a lot more powerful than people give it credit). From time to time I also have bookmarks printed off (with info on my books printed on each side) and drop them off at libraries, bookshops, retirement homes and so on. I visited Malaysia last year and had great fun dropping bookmarks off around various areas of Kuala Lumpur (usually without the shopkeepers knowing). Of all the marketing techniques, word-of-mouth is king in my view.</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>My feeling's exactly. Have you ever attended a writers’ workshop?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I have, but only a couple. I found them to be informative and positive. Although I would steer well clear of local writers’ clubs (only my opinion, of course). I find them more about other writers (and their egos) dragging other people’s work down (no matter how poor or exceptional it may be) in order to highlight their own perceived writing talent, rather than helping each other through the process itself.<br /> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Have you attended any literary events?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I certainly have. Definitely worth it (for the most part). Although to this day, I am disappointed I didn’t have the opportunity to attend one of David Gemmell’s literary events.<br /> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Shame, I've read about them and they were highly sought after. </strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>What social media platforms do you use?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I mainly use Facebook. On a lesser scale, I use Twitter and also dabble on LinkedIn.<br /> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>How much do you feel you've improved in the last few years?</strong> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Thanks to proof readers, honest friends and constructive criticism from total strangers, I believe I’ve improved exponentially to where I was five years ago. In particular, the pace of the story, characterisation and dialogue are places where I have improved the most. However, I will say there is always room for more improvement. It’s difficult to answer this question without sounding like an arrogant nob. </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>What is your favourite genre?</strong> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
That’s a tough one, I read a relatively broad range spread across many genres. Probably the ones I prefer are heroic fantasy, thriller, action/adventure and autobiography (nonfiction).</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>Who was your favourite childhood author?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
David Gemmell. Always has been and always will be. Sadly, David passed away in 2006.</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>Who do you act out the scenes in your novels with?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I don’t. The characters create the scenes as they progress. Sometimes I need to grab hold of a character and drag them back, telling them, “steady on there son, let’s try that again.” But more often than not, I ‘watch’ the characters and write down as they proceed or interact.</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>How old where you when you first started writing?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Six years old. A dodgy little story about a gun fight between British and German soldiers (during WWII). I don’t think my teacher was particularly impressed.</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>I have been told twice by readers that my LIBERTY OR DEATH novella set against the backdrop of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, was far too gruesome. I used my imagination BUT sometimes there is a fine line between reality and fiction. The gun battles, the slaughter, the torture was real and it unfortunately happened. So I wrote it in.</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>What</strong> <strong>is your favourite thing you've written?</strong> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Probably the most fun I’ve had writing a scene is in Aftermath (sequel to The Reckoning) where two characters are out mustering cattle together. The four-wheeled motorbike one of them is riding has a decidedly dangerous malfunction. What ensues after that malfunction was great fun. The book’s not out yet (will be released in the first half of 2016).</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Definitely a flawed, yet determined person. A character that connects with the vast majority of readers. A man or woman who, even though they are presented as a series of words on a piece of paper, are just as real as you or I. Too often the hero is a little too perfectly rounded. They are more than likely a perfect super-human that will swoop in and save the day. That kind of character feels a little too ‘plastic’ for me. Often, heroes are real people with normal lives, caught up in horrendous situations and acting anyway, even though they are terrified. My favourite character archetype is the flawed hero.</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>What do you think makes good writing?</strong> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
This is only my humble opinion, but I believe regardless of the genre, well developed, real characters and genuine dialogue will make the story stick.</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /><strong>Do you believe in writers block? If so, have you ever had to overcome it?</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I did at one time believe in writer’s block, yes. Now I don’t. I think writer’s block is an excuse (either conscious or sub-conscious) the writer creates in order to sidestep writing because they’re not in the mood at a particular time. A writer might be slightly confused or wary about how to proceed in a particular scene, but really the only way to overcome that is to sit down and continue writing, whether you like it or not. I think Stephen King wrote it best in his book ‘On Writing’:</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Thank you, Keith, it has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and to delve into your writing process and thoughts.<br /><br />To connect with Keith please click on the links below:</strong></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KeithAuthor/">https://www.facebook.com/KeithAuthor/</a></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithAuthor">https://twitter.com/KeithAuthor</a></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Website: <a href="http://www.keithmcardle.com/">http://www.keithmcardle.com/</a></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
</div>
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Readers can buy Keith's books (in digital and paperback format) from Amazon or from the store on his Facebook page. Alternatively, it is possible to order them in at your local book shop.</strong></div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-10769966538866002752016-03-02T08:22:00.001-08:002016-03-04T00:38:54.119-08:00The opening of TEMPEST, the sixth story in the Soldier Chronicles series<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8nC7ogSUzCmapaQe8icU5MEjy8gq_b4US7P60BI8LuedC9x7QZyVd6xDAFzrAy_UyIPP_hFW3nisrral5NQfCV32QzLfzDxI-NedoeC47SAE4RiHPXg56bZDStvhVFLty_IE8HNrfis/s1600/TEMPEST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8nC7ogSUzCmapaQe8icU5MEjy8gq_b4US7P60BI8LuedC9x7QZyVd6xDAFzrAy_UyIPP_hFW3nisrral5NQfCV32QzLfzDxI-NedoeC47SAE4RiHPXg56bZDStvhVFLty_IE8HNrfis/s400/TEMPEST.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(The jacket cover is a mock up and may not reflect the final design.)</span></em></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><em>Fishguard,
February, 1797: HMS Britannia anchors
off the Pembrokeshire coast in the dying days of winter. Two armed companies of
soldiers row ashore, led by the charismatic American, Colonel William Tate.
They are met with the local Welsh Volunteer regiment who, despite the suspicious
locals, have been expecting them.<o:p></o:p></em></span><br />
<em>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><em>But
one man has been secretly shadowing a small flotilla bound for the same destination.
Major Lorn Mullone, a shrewd Irishman employed by the British government,
considers that their arrival is more than fortuitous.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><em>But
is this just a mere coincidence or perhaps a ruse de guerre? Mullone has to uncover the truth and, with every
step of the way, he must tread carefully if he is to survive.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
night was calm and moonlit. Silver touched the limestone and sandstone Pembrokeshire
coastline. A small wind came from the glimmering Irish Sea, but it brought no
malice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That was when
the warship was sighted a mile off the peninsula near Fishguard, a small
fishing village nestled in a valley where the River Gwaun meets the sea. By
dawn, when the sky was still grey, the land was grey, and a thin grey mist
hovered like fallen wisps of cloud, the ship reached the harbour's anchorage. Six
boats were dropped into the cold water and rowed ashore. Redcoats manning a
small coastal fort high above the harbour's bluff that over looked Cardigan Bay
watched them intently. The stone fortress that protected Fishguard had well-maintained
guns, but none of them erupted in warning or threat, because HMS<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Britannia</i> was expected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Major Mansel Yates
of the Fishguard Volunteer Infantry observed the boats approach through the
dirty lens of a weather-beaten telescope. 'They are lucky this morning,' he
said with a cheerful voice to the two men flanking him. One was a captain with
dark eyes and sharp eyebrows, the other was a sergeant with a chest like a
blacksmith. 'Lucky indeed,' Yates continued, momentarily staring up at the
pearly glow <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the sky that indicated
where the sun was. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Britannia</i> was
three days late, and Yates had put their delay due to the fierceness of the
Irish Sea. 'But then, Colonel Tate was always a fortunate and propitious soul.
Did I tell you about the time we ambushed the rebels at Charleston back in '80?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Yes, sir,' the
captain responded uninterestedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">They watched the
long oars row the vessels closer to shore. Figures in the leading boat were
visible at the foredeck and gunwales. They stared back at the coast, where
smoke rose from chimneys and lights flickered from houses, warehouses and other
trading depots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'The man's a
rogue,' Yates continued of his infatuation, 'but you'll not meet a finer
soldier, nor a finer gentleman.' <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The captain
grunted, thinking the major was talking like a besotted fool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Lucky,' Yates
repeated. He was in his early forties, of average height, a build more of fat
than muscle and had a ruddy-cheeked face. It was a genial face with small,
bright blue eyes. He had been an officer of the Volunteers for three years,
having been invalided out of the army at the end of the war with the Americans.
He returned to his beloved home to help manage his family's estate, which gave
him three hundred acres of land when his father died seven years ago. Despite
his wound, he had been shot in the left arm leaving him with partial feeling
and weakness, he was delighted to be offered the majority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Strange colour
of their coats, sir?' the sergeant rasped, squinting down at the boats through
the smear of light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Colour,
Sergeant Rosser?' Yates glanced at him and then turned back to the crafts. He
adjusted the lens, wiped water from them and then trained the scope for a closer
look. 'Dark red, perhaps,' he allowed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Looks like
brown or black to me, sir,' Rosser observed suspiciously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'We'll soon find
out, won't we?' Yates, unable to truly tell because of the haze, smiled in
wonderment and snapped shut his glass. The Fishguard Volunteers wore a short
red coat faced white with light infantry wings, white breeches and a black
slouched hat turned up on the left. A green plume and a white band with the
words '<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ich Dien</i>' German for 'I serve',
a motto used by Welsh regiments serving King George III were stitched in black.
Yates, like Vickers, wore a thick coat over his scarlet jacket, kidskin gloves
and oilskin-coated cocked hats. 'Captain Vickers, with me. Sergeant Rosser, I
want you and your section as honour guard.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Rosser looked
blank. 'Honour guard, sir?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates, emollient
and softly spoken, smiled again. Moisture on the oilskin gave the hat a silver sheen.
'Of course, sergeant,' he said. 'We have honoured guests to greet.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Yes, sir,' Rosser
answered but flashed Vickers a sceptical look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The three men descended
the parapet steps and strode back through the courtyard. The two officers then climbed
up onto saddled horses and trotted up along the single track, which snaked down
the isthmus towards the small port. Delicate threads of fog whirled around the
horses' legs as they passed through it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As the boats'
keels scraped aground, the sailors leaped down to steady them and a tall
officer wearing a thick grey cloak clasped at his throat gracefully stepped
down onto the rushing shore. His tall boots sank into the soft yellow sand, but
he managed to stay upright when a wave foamed white and forceful at his feet. Yates
and his men were waiting. He went down to meet the newcomer. The Volunteers in
their red serge jackets and bright white crossbelts, formed behind, stood rigidly
to attention. The two officers saluted each other and, beaming like old
friends, clasped each other's hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'By God, it's
good to see you again, Bill,' Yates said with genuine affection. 'I should
rightly be saying, sir.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tate dismissed
that last comment with an energetic wave of his hand. 'I'll have none of that, Mansel,
old friend,' he said with the drawl of South Carolina. 'How long has it been? Twelve
years?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Fourteen
years,' Yates reproached with a firmer grip. The soldiers were disembarking the
boats in good order; the bosuns and the sergeants were bellowing orders behind
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tate shook his
head at the number of years gone by. He was forty-four years old, of slender
build, with pale eyes and a long face. 'Too long for friends not to see each
other,' he said, then remembered something. 'You look well. How's your arm?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates was
pleased he remembered. 'It goes numb from time to time, and I have never been
able to get full use from it, but I was lucky to keep it, so I can't complain.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Damned lucky,' Tate
agreed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'How was the
journey?' <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The American
took off his cocked hat, made damp by the mist, and ran a hand through greying
hair. 'Dolphins saw us in, there were grey seals on the rocks and Captain Le
Haillan thought he saw a whale off the cape,' Tate said, smiling with white
teeth. 'I feel like we've already been welcomed.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates laughed
and then heard a polite cough from over his shoulder. He half turned to see
Vickers waiting keenly to be introduced. 'Of course, my apologies,' the major
said, acknowledging his subordinate with a nod. 'Allow me to introduce Captain Dewi
Vickers. A most able company commander and one I am extremely proud to have
serve with me.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Vickers gave
Tate a sharp salute. 'Major Yates has told me of your gallantry, sir. I am
honoured to make your acquaintance.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tate seemed awkward
with the praise. He fiddled with his hat before placing it back on his head. 'I
hope I don't disappoint you, Captain.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Not at all,
sir,' Vickers said briskly. 'Major Yates often spoke of your capability in
dealing with the rebels of that ghastly conflict. Myself, I have not seen
action, so it's rewarding to know and converse with those men with experience.
I have a great respect for men like you, sir. I hope to learn from you.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tate pursed his
lips and gave a short nod.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'There is one
matter...' Vickers' voice trailed away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Yes?' Tate said,
raising an eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Vickers bobbed
his head with appreciation at being allowed to continue. 'I was just wondering
about your colours, sir.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Colours?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Your coat and
that of your men appear to be dark brown, sir, not regulation red,' Vickers
said in a helpful tone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'You're very perceptive,
Captain,' Tate remarked flatly. 'Unfortunately, our coats were supplied incorrectly
dyed. The regiment's former colonel still bought them, and we've not been
supplied with replacements. However, my men have all regulation necessaries,
their muskets have all been oiled and their flints are screwed and well-seated.
You'll not see a finer legion. Though I do see a change that will soon allow us
to,' he paused briefly, 'transform our colours, as you so adequately put it.' He
finished with a charismatic smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Vickers wondered
why he said 'l<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">egion</i>', but decided not
to press the matter for the moment. 'Very good, sir.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'And now I must
insist we share a drink,' Yates implored. 'Your men are welcome to billet at
the fort. It's a devil of a trek up, but there is plenty of room. How many men
do you have?' He craned to see past Tate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Two hundred.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates's
cheerfulness flagged. He heard Vickers groan behind. 'We might struggle a
little to accommodate. There's a disused farm nearby. The majority of your men
can use the granary or share the fields with my men. We have our own tents.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'My men haven't
been issued tents, so we'll use the farm.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'We are a little
thin on the stores, but we have some bread, salted meat and ale.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'No need to
worry yourself,' Tate said cheerfully, 'we have brought our own rations. I've
tobacco and a case of fine brandy to share with you and your officers later. I
wanted to take my rogues out on a manoeuvre first. We've been at sea too long and
need to stretch our legs. I don't want my men to get goddamned soft, and this
fine morning will be perfect.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Very good,' Yates
answered genially.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Perhaps you
will join us?' Tate asked him, though to Vickers it seemed like a demand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Much obliged, Bill.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Good.' Tate
turned, nodded and two of his officers stepped forward. 'This is Captain Le
Haillan,' he said, indicating a tall man with pale features and a hint of red hair
on his face. The captain immediately gave a smart salute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Captain,' Yates
said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Le Haillan?'
Vickers said, frown lines creasing his brow. 'Sounds French.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There was an
embarrassed silence, punctuated by the sounds of Tate's men still disembarking
and forming up on the sand. The soldiers wore outdated peaked leather caps with
falling horsehair manes, a headdress that light infantry or dragoons wore
during the American War of Independence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Le Haillan's
mouth twitched. 'My ancestors,' he said with a crisp English accent, 'were
Huguenots.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates coughed to
cover his embarrassment at Vickers's impolite question, to which the captain seemed
to be oblivious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tate glowered.
'This is Lieutenant Marrock, another able officer under my command.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Marrock was in
his early twenties, with chestnut hair and a freckled complexion. He flicked
his gaze from the Welshmen and up to the village with sullen eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When Tate's peculiarly
dressed browncoats were ready, a contingent of sun-darkened sailors carrying
chests and barrels of powder began to haul them up the beach until Yates
managed to commandeer an old cart used to collect driftwood and other debris. A
group of fishermen watched the spectacle. Yates waved cheerfully at them. One
of them had heard Tate speak and spat to show his contempt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Forgive Old
Griffin,' Yates exclaimed. 'His brother Gethin was killed by American
privateers back in '79. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Black Prince</i>
bombarded the village after we refused to pay their outrageous ransom. People
were killed, a couple of homes were destroyed and St Mary's Church was damaged,
but we stood firm against the damned Jonathans!' Yates remembered who he was
talking to and muttered an embarrassed chuckle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'You Welsh are a
resolute breed,' Tate remarked stridently, unaffected by the derogatory term
for American pirates. 'I take my hat off to you and your people, Mansel.' Tate
touched his forelock at the fisherman, but the craggy-faced Welshman offered a
black scowl and muttered a curse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">More folk
watched the soldiers with suspicious eyes. Yates decided to stroll ahead with
Tate as the redcoats and browncoats trailed behind. The climbing path from the
harbour was edged with thick tussocks of grass and shouldered with
wind-shredded gorse. Cobwebs made silver by damp weather sparkled in the clumps
of purple heather. Tate let his eyes wander across the glittering bay, where
colonies of razorbills and guillemots nested in the sea cliffs. Many villagers still
watched them; the beach was thick with fishermen, nets, boats and fish traps. A
salty breeze rushed up the cliff-face, almost knocking Le Haillan's hat from
his head. The captain repositioned it and held on to it firmly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'There's a
kittiwake that visits us,' Yates said after a few minutes of silence. 'Aye, he
comes down from the embrasures, and Corporal Pritchard feeds it scraps. Aye,
that what he calls the bird, Scraps.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tate smiled at Yates's
enthusiasm for small talk and looked up to the fort. It was a dark shape
against the horizon, half-hidden by the rocky ledges, its rampart's top edged
with a flickering line of orange to show that braziers burned in the courtyard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates saw his
gaze. 'It was constructed back in '81 after the attack. It certainly keeps the
bay clear of enemies.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Has there been another
attack?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'No,' Yates
admitted, 'but it keeps us safe. Just the thought of the guns deterring enemies
gives us a great deal of assurance.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'How many guns
does it have?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Eight
nine-pounders. Manned by a contingent of Woolwich gunners stationed here.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tate did not
know where Woolwich was, presuming that it was a place nearby, and so said
nothing. The two men exchanged news of past friends, births, marriages and
deaths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Vickers touched
the spurs to his horse's flanks to get closer to the two men. He had tried to
converse with Marrock, but the morose Irishman promised poor conversation.
There was something about Le Haillan that troubled Vickers. He couldn't put his
finger on it, so he ignored the too well-dressed Englishman. Maybe that was
what bothered him. Days or weeks at sea, and the captain appeared without a
stitch out of place. That was odd in Vickers's books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The ground
levelled and the path became flanked with tall grassy embankments. The men's
boots echoed loudly in the narrow space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'And is it true
that our old friend William Knox resides in the county?' Tate asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Yes,' Yates replied.
'He has estates over in Slebech and Llanstinan. His son commands two companies
here and the two over at Newport.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'He's done well
for himself,' Tate said of the father, and Vickers noted a slight sourness with
that comment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates must have
noticed the tartness too, for he gave his customary chuckle. 'He has, Bill.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'What's his son
like?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Lieutenant-Colonel
Thomas Knox is... he is a...' Yates struggled to find adequate words. He
sighed. 'He is a young man,' he said despairingly, hoping that answered it all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'I look forward
to meeting him,' Tate said patiently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'Indeed,' Yates said
rather nervously, which Vickers also noticed. 'Would you like tea, Bill?'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">'I would, thank
you. I find that I can't function without a cup,' Tate declared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You Americans wouldn't have any if it weren't for us</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">, Vickers
thought mischievously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The soldiers
marched into the stronghold as redcoats watched them from behind the moss-and
salt-stained walls. Tate allowed his men twenty minutes' rest. Tea was brewed,
provisions were eaten and pipes were lit, but the assiduous colonel took half his
men east towards Newport, where dawn blushed the sky a pale pink. Le Haillan
and Marrock went northwest, where the land was the highest, up and along the
coastal trail past Goodwick, which was a hamlet of fishermen's cottages, and
where giant rocky prominences dominated the fields and farmsteads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Yates went with Tate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A
single horseman cantered along the road, which was, in truth, more of a farm
track, as the wolf-light of dawn slowly bruised with colour. He slowed the
beast down to a trot and then halted it with a steady pull of the reins. The
horse obeyed and snorted, its flanks shimmering with sweat in the hazy light.
The rider patted its muscled neck fondly and climbed out of the saddle.
Glancing over his shoulder, he tied the reins to a solitary winter-bare oak
tree. A single branch lay on the ground, snapped off from recent fierce winds.
He threaded his way down through lichen-haunted stones and grassland interspersed
with rock samphire, English stonecrop and wild thyme. The sword hanging from
his left hip clanked and rattled. His boots slid on wet grass, but he kept his
balance. The waves crashed white against the headland's protruding necklace of
rocks, but turning east, they caressed the shore, leaving gentle kisses before
rushing back from the arched caves and stony coves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was then, above wild tangles of gorse
and thinning palls of fog, that he saw masts like inky scratches against the
skyline. He edged closer; the smell of the sea filled his nostrils. There were
three ships. The first was a large, square-rigged, three-masted frigate; the
other two vessels were a corvette and a lugger, each with two masts and fore-and-aft
rigged sails. The sails billowed dirty-white against the deep blue-grey of the
ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The man produced a telescope from a lard-smeared
haversack. He aimed it towards the ships, steadied the long brass tubes with
his gloved hands and it took a moment to bring the lenses into focus. His name
was Lorn Mullone. He had fought in the American wars and had spent nigh on
twenty years watching enemies and deciphering their moves and strategies. And
it was his experience and skills that had brought him to this nondescript part
of the country, knowing that their appearance here was of no insignificance.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> It was quiet except for the sound of the
sea and the screeching calls of cormorants and fulmars swooping and diving below.
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mullone studied the ships for some time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-76559078088990438302016-03-02T02:01:00.002-08:002016-03-02T02:01:42.476-08:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH TERRY LYNN THOMAS<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IhxazOW043fVV6GvM7WfQUXpInzaqrlOnd0KL048jmXq45b838NjZ1Yh2OfNQAehzMEMTHgqVTGDIXUdkXt2hKoJtuTjwgG8m24zK5nn5CnPeUeAiw7uk8Z56JT6wg3BW4DJSRe_qrY/s1600/Headshot+for+BOB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6IhxazOW043fVV6GvM7WfQUXpInzaqrlOnd0KL048jmXq45b838NjZ1Yh2OfNQAehzMEMTHgqVTGDIXUdkXt2hKoJtuTjwgG8m24zK5nn5CnPeUeAiw7uk8Z56JT6wg3BW4DJSRe_qrY/s320/Headshot+for+BOB.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am delighted to announce that author Terry Lynn Thomas features next in the series.</strong><strong> As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Tell us about your first novel</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
My first published novel, “The Spirit of Grace,” takes place in San Francisco during the 1940s. My protagonist, Sarah Bennett, witnesses her mother fall to her death and immediately develops amnesia. She is a bit of an odd duck anyway, so it doesn’t take long for her neighbours and family to believe that she may have pushed her mother to her death. Rather than face the scandal of a criminal investigation, Sarah is sent away to an asylum in an attempt to try to recover her memory. During Sarah’s time at the asylum, the world goes to war. On the one year anniversary of her mother’s death, Sarah’s father summons her home, in an attempt to help Sarah remember what really happened on that night. During the course of the book, Sarah redeems herself and gets to the bottom of her mother’s death. She redeems herself in the eyes of her family and her town, but realizes that the only approval she really needs, is her own. <br />
<br />
<strong>When did you start writing?</strong><br />
<br />I started writing in the early 90s but didn’t take myself seriously as a writer until 2006, when I was able to quit my day job and focus entirely on developing as a fiction writer. People often ask why I write, and the best answer is that I have to. I have tried to quit, but have always come back to it. <br />
I am published by Black Opal Books, a small indie-press in Oregon. <br />
<br />
<strong>How many books have you written?</strong><br />
<br />I have written two of the three books required for my contract. Working on book 3 now. The second book takes place six months after the Spirit of Grace. Sarah’s is dealing with a heap o’trouble and trying to find her way in the world. The third book takes Sarah and Zeke back to Zeke’s home town in Northern California, where he and Sarah will try to help out a family member who is a suspect in an old murder. As for future projects: I have a drawer full of ideas for Sarah. She is such a spontaneous character, she manages to land herself in trouble and I, as the writer of her story, have a blast trying to dig her out.<br />
<br />
Here’s a sentence or paragraph on each of my books: <br />
<br />The Spirit of Grace: Sarah Bennett doesn’t remember the night her mother tumbled down the stairs at Bennett House. Although she allegedly witnessed the incident, she knows in her heart that she did not give her mother that fateful push. When she becomes the subject of dark whispers and sidelong glances, Sarah’s family sends her to The Laurels, an exclusive asylum in San Francisco. Now, one year after her mother’s death, Sarah is summoned home. When she returns, another murder occurs, and Sarah is once again a suspect. In order to clear her name, Sarah must remember what happened the fateful night her mother died. But as Sarah works to regain her memory, the real murderer watches, ready to kill again to protect a dark family secret.<br />
<br />Weeping in the Wings and Neptune’s Daughter are in production, so I don’t want to give away too much yet. I will say that Sarah is not doing well after the end of Grace, and we see her character round out and develop (along with her relationship with Zeke) in these next two books.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITorY7d9KWkNv53X1MZF9b1vlmoREfVu3QpT0Uc-xj7PmOI0GQDkulLkfCoVJpflpXc1a2Q6bxC0mLiJsbKgcZuyzKwwDse_FLpsnD9ZJUJz7kiYrytwhOdEhkosnDhWuIGXY03kfSFc/s1600/Spirit+of+Grace+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITorY7d9KWkNv53X1MZF9b1vlmoREfVu3QpT0Uc-xj7PmOI0GQDkulLkfCoVJpflpXc1a2Q6bxC0mLiJsbKgcZuyzKwwDse_FLpsnD9ZJUJz7kiYrytwhOdEhkosnDhWuIGXY03kfSFc/s640/Spirit+of+Grace+Final.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Who is your favourite character?</strong><br />
<br />
My favorite character in the Sarah Bennett series is Zeke. He is so conflicted, and carries so many secrets, but he is also noble and ethical and brave. I love to show the social mores and dignified behavior between men and women during the time period, especially in comparison to the way we engage with each other today. <br />
<br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />My books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and my publisher’s website: blackopalbooks.com. <br />
<br />
<strong>What are your favourite books of all time?</strong><br />
<br />
I loved “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier, “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield was sublime. I read a lot of gothic novels from the 1940s through the 1960s, authors such as Mary Stewart, Patricia Wentworth, Dorothy Eden, and, of course, Agatha Christie. I also like hardboiled mysteries, such as Robert Parker’s books, Elmore Leonard, Micky Spillane, and Raymond Chandler. Right now I’m binge listening to the Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth on audible. <br />
<br />
It’s hard to read while I’m writing, so I take my fiction via audible. When I am not writing, I usually read ten or so books a month. I read a lot of historical fiction, and have a tottering to-be-read pile. <br />
<br />
<strong>How do you juggle daily life and writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I like to get up in the morning at 4:00 a.m. and write at my kitchen table, for a good two hours. I have tried varying this routine, writing at night, or writing in a café, but home office works best for me.<br />I currently do have a part-time day job, which takes about 18 hours a week of my time. I spend another 15 hours a week on my writing—at least the sitting at the desk part. <br />
<br />
<strong>What are the best/worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />The best thing about being a writer is the process of doing the actual writing, and the satisfaction of knowing that some reader out there was transported by your book, related to the characters in some way, or otherwise enjoyed the ride. That means the world to me. It’s all about the readers. I love them. The flip side to that, the hardest part, is doing the actual self-promotion with tract and grace. I hate to spew “Buy my book! Buy my book!” out into the marketing void, but as writers nowadays, especially indie writers operating with a zero dollar marketing budget, you have to find your readers. It’s a challenge. <br />
<br />
<strong>Have you attended any writing workshops or courses?</strong><br />
<br />
I have taken a lot of creative writing courses, both at the college level and online. The thing that worked best for me, however, was actually doing the writing. I found a mentor who worked with me for several years and taught me a lot about the craft. Nothing takes the place of sitting down at the desk and putting pen to paper. I notice that my skills get better with each book, and I hope that I continue to grow and learn. <br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you for your time, Terry, all the best for your writing.</strong><br />
<br />
Thanks for hosting me, David. Appreciate you and your readers taking the time to read and show an interest in Sarah Bennett. <br />
<br />
You can follow me on Facebook (Terry Lynn Thomas-Author) and stop by my website, terrylynnthomas.com. </div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-19422229404573654992016-03-01T05:14:00.002-08:002016-03-01T05:14:54.733-08:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH LEAH DEVLIN<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3RmQqPpDEtI_3q5RqqEWR8rs4i_B-722IPhI-zJnOscv5F4eYO-Zt_LROu9kD27KBGSsZNJMMYiQTlpta5GpmY5NMXx8qtUIHgZIKFs42BUxesQqCN5IwhD20SnPJ4gH2jrG3c-qHsE/s1600/leah+devlin+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3RmQqPpDEtI_3q5RqqEWR8rs4i_B-722IPhI-zJnOscv5F4eYO-Zt_LROu9kD27KBGSsZNJMMYiQTlpta5GpmY5NMXx8qtUIHgZIKFs42BUxesQqCN5IwhD20SnPJ4gH2jrG3c-qHsE/s400/leah+devlin+pic.JPG" width="283" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am delighted to announce that author Leah Devlin features next in the series.</strong><strong> As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Leah, what compels you to write novels?</strong><br />
<br />
Some people feel that one lifetime is not enough. I’m certainly one who wonders about lives unlived and ‘what-ifs.’ Combine that with my interests in history and science and a love of writing and what results are my mystery-thrillers that are a mosaic of these elements. Story writing spurs me to travel abroad to research a historical period or event that intrigues me, like the Norse voyages to North America, and then weave that history into a modern day thriller. <br />
<br />
My novels are by no means historical novels, but past events are accelerants for the actions of my modern day characters. In Ægir’s Curse of the Woods Hole Mysteries trilogy, a medieval plague carried by a Viking longboat to the New World arises from the waters of Cape Cod and a stolen Vinland map disrupt the tranquillity of a seaside village. In preparation for this modern day Viking saga, I read everything reasonably possible about the Norse in the North Atlantic and the alleged Vinland settlement in the Americas, travelled to museums in the Viking centres of Oslo, Dublin, and York, as well as interviewed microbiologists about the microbes that underlie plagues (then I promptly made up my own microbe and its bizarre symptoms).<br />
<br />
For the upcoming Chesapeake Tugboat Murder series, which occurs in a small fictional village and site of a 1680s pirate massacre, I’ve been researching the colonial history of America, especially in the Delmarva area. When most people think about piracy in the Americas, their thoughts leap immediately to the Caribbean and the Spanish Main. But the Chesapeake Bay region had an astonishingly rich history of piracy when the Virginia and Maryland colonies jostled to control the Chesapeake and the nascent colonial powers (Britain, Holland, Spain and France) vied to dominate the eastern seaboard. In the Chesapeake Tugboat Murders, the settling of a small band of Scottish pirates in the upper Chesapeake, led by the murderous Giles Blood-hand in possession of a reputed treasure hoard, causes the eruption of a blood feud three and half centuries later. <br />
<br /><strong>Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<br />
Penmore Press, an independent press in Tucson, Arizona, publishes my books. I love working with them, my publisher, web-mistress, editors, and cover designer. All of them are wonderful.<br />
<br /><strong>How many books have you written?</strong><br />
<br />
Seven in total. The Bottom Dwellers and Ægir’s Curse were published recently by Penmore Press. These are the first two stories in a trilogy called the Woods Hole Mysteries and are set in the real-life seaside village of Woods Hole on Cape Cod in the US. Woods Hole’s a magical place with an oceanographic institute and marine lab where I worked as a marine biologist for many summers. The characters that populate this actual setting are fictional. The trilogy focuses on a brilliant yet flawed inventor-Nobel Laureate, Dr. Lindsey Nolan, and her misadventures. Nolan’s a chaos magnet and prone to making horrible decisions about almost everything.<br />
<br />
The third novel in the trilogy, The Bends, will be released sometime in the spring of 2016. I’m really excited about this one because it introduces one of my favorite characters, Bill Bleach, a gawkish, young detective brought to investigate a gruesome murder in a hidden labyrinth in the walls of an art college. Despite himself, Bill falls hard for the prime suspect, Lindsey Nolan’s adopted daughter, Maggie, and as he attempts to exonerate her, uncovers her dark past. It’s a big mess for Bill.<br /> <br />Vital Spark and Spider are the first two novels in my upcoming Chesapeake Tugboat Murder series. Vital Spark has been completed and is under contract with Penmore and should be released sometime in 2016. Spider is about 95% complete. River Glen, the fictional setting for these thrillers, is a village of fishermen and oddballs who are descended from 1600s pirates and are hiding, centuries later, a massive treasure from a Spanish treasure galleon. It’s a post-modern pirate yarn with lusty pirates and wenches, carousing, murder, mayhem ... and all that good stuff. Argh.<br /> <br />Two of the seven novels that I’ve written – let’s call them “practice novels destined for the e-dumpster” – will never see the light of day. They were the first two novels I wrote over a decade ago; they were utterly horrible. Hopefully, I got all of the bad writing and ludicrous, implausible plotlines out of my system with those.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObyF-hmaPYLDBdyAGr84fh5wt57Owa_ZlNH0E_iZEvyLemPutKpn_19pEBXXwuxpHFHOFqRgzllWgMGh_kmC4eIitbDSXuZ2Mxd8nqr_XT40hkzkOcUSb5yg-lvlk4Se4oxaTMDr-ZJ0/s1600/coverTheBottomDwellers-lrg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObyF-hmaPYLDBdyAGr84fh5wt57Owa_ZlNH0E_iZEvyLemPutKpn_19pEBXXwuxpHFHOFqRgzllWgMGh_kmC4eIitbDSXuZ2Mxd8nqr_XT40hkzkOcUSb5yg-lvlk4Se4oxaTMDr-ZJ0/s320/coverTheBottomDwellers-lrg.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I think we can relate to *first novels* and everyone's early drafts are usually horrible. So what are you working on now?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m in the process of writing the climax to Spider, the sequel to Vital Spark. It has two interwoven plots: a scientist conducting diabolical experiments with poisonous spiders (literally spiders on steroids) at a fictional Chesapeake Bay college, and a ruthless treasure-hunter seeking the elusive 17th century treasure of the notorious Giles Blood-hand. A ditzy marine biologist, Alex Allaway, finds herself in the middle of the craziness. <br />
<br /><strong>Any future projects in the works?</strong><br />
<br />
I ride motorcycles with a bunch of like-minded women motorcycle enthusiasts, and this Fourth of July weekend, we’re traveling to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I’ve been cajoling them to take a ghost walk because Gettysburg’s supposedly one of the most haunted places in America. My thought is to write a mystery-thriller cantered around a Gettysburg ghost walk with biker chicks, re-enactors and of course, a murdering ‘ghost,’ but I haven’t figured out the details yet. My brain is muddling about in the conclusion of Spider. The umbilicus hasn’t been cut from that story yet.<br />
<br />
<strong>I would love to visit Gettysburg, but for entirely different reasons. So who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong> <br />
<br />
I’m ridiculously attached to many of my characters. In the Woods Hole trilogy, I have a soft spot for Maggie as she’s overcome tremendous odds (abandonment/child prostitution/drug addiction) to become the artist and young woman she is in The Bends. She’s the age of my children so there’s probably some Freudian maternal thing going on here. Lindsey Nolan’s business partner, the tattooed Polynesian engineer, Sara Kauni, is so cool that I’d stammer through a conversation with her if she were to stop me on the street. I try to warm up to Lindsey Nolan but I can’t. She’s too intelligent, creative, arrogant, and sexy for her own good. I have a bit of an author crush on the dashing biker, Derick Briggs, Lindsey’s love interest in the later Woods Hole stories. After all of the heartache I put her through with a paedophile English teacher, parasitic ex-husband, and cheating boyfriend, I finally cut her a break and gave her a good man in Derick.<br />
<br /><strong>Lucky for Lindsey, eh? If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?</strong><br />
<br />
Hands down, I’d be Julia Hale, the Scottish grandmother in the Chesapeake Tugboat Murders series. She’s a former actress with the Royal Shakespeare Company, drop-dead-gorgeous, charismatic, a wonderful dancer, and has interesting men falling at her feet. Ahh … I could only wish … <br /> <br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />
Amazon and all online book vendors.<br />
<br /><strong>What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />
I went to an all girls’ high school so I actually learned something as a teenager. I had extraordinary English teachers who taught me an appreciation of many types of literature. This had a cumulative effect. I love Latin American literature (Cristina Garcia, Gabriel Garcia Marquez), American Literature (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Flannery O’Connor) and British Literature (Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle). I adore reading and watching drama, the Greek tragedies, Shakespeare, and Eugene O’Neill. <br />
<br /><strong>What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />
I love P. D. James. Her stories are gripping, complex – absolute genius – and she’s a brilliant writer. I find mystery-thrillers especially fun to write as I see them as problem-solving exercises, a challenge to develop, then successfully resolve. They’re puzzles I create to amuse myself.<br />
<br /><strong>P.D. James was in a class of her own. Fab books. Now, what book are you currently reading?</strong><br />
<br />
Except for the historical research, I rarely read when I’m writing a novel, which (I hope) prevents other writers’ phrases and ideas sneaking subconsciously into my stories and corrupting them. I hope that my stories are pure and unique, and develop freely without interference from others’ works lingering in my subconscious. I try to write with an unfettered mind, but the negative events in the world and ever-pervasive, ever-demanding technologies are hugely distracting. When I’m not writing a novel, I read incessantly and read everything, both fiction and non-fiction.<br />
<br /><strong>How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
<br />
Zero when I’m writing a novel. Four or five when not working on a book.<br /> <br /><strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
The split second my son left to join the Navy, I transformed his bedroom into my office. I write in bed on a laptop with the ever-essential extra large mug of coffee within reach. Coffee is my jet fuel. <br /> <br /><strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m pretty compulsive about my writing schedule. I start writing between 3 and 4 am while the world sleeps. I write for a few hours, then go to dance class. I’m pretty fanatical about dance, an absolute klutz, but I love it regardless. Dancing enlivens my brain and fires me up to write for a few more hours. By early afternoon, I’m pretty much brain-dead so I take rambling walks and think about my writing the next day. I walk through my town park or the town graveyard where there’s tons of wildlife like deer, birds and foxes. Reading gravestones often gives me ideas for characters. (One gravestone is of the Reckless Sisters. They must have been the life of the party! I’d like to write a story about them). If I had to do the math, I write for about five hours a day. The dance and walk breaks are essential to recharge my brain.<br /><br /><strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<br />
Definitely! ‘Writing what you know’ lends credibility and authenticity to one’s stories. That’s why many of my characters are scientists. Both Jessie McCabe in the Woods Hole Mysteries and Alex Allaway in the Chesapeake Tugboat Murders are marine biologists. The two bioengineers and Nobel Laureates, Lindsey Nolan and Sara Kauni, work in a lab that develops experimental electrodes, much like a lab that I worked in earlier in my career. For part of the year I live on my small tugboat on the Chesapeake, which is why much of the action in my stories occurs on boats or on/in the water.<br />
<br /><strong>As an author are you self-employed or do you have another job?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m a biology professor who teaches physiology, neuroscience, and endocrinology to pre-medical and nursing students. <strong>(Ok...WOW...)</strong><br />
<br />
I occasionally teach a course in marine biology. It’s a job that I’ve been doing for a very long time so it’s easy and allows me a lot of mental space and time to develop novels. Since I’ve worked in academia for my entire career, my stories often occur in labs (The Bottom Dwellers and Ægir’s Curse) and colleges like the Newbury College of Art (The Bends) and Tolchester College (Spider). Working with academics is way stranger than fiction … over-the-top weird.<br /> <br /><strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong><br />
<br />
The addictive nature of writing, which is why I write trilogies and series. Characters also occupy inordinate amounts of time in the author’s head, even when not writing.<br /> <br /><strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
I took up novel writing late(r) in life and it’s enlivened my brain and enriched my life in countless intangible ways. I’ve met some wonderful people and found new friends and colleagues through my writing. The writing allows me to research subjects and travel to places I want to learn about. Writing is a continuous education and process that (I hope) keeps my mind interesting and agile, if to no one else, me.<br /> <br />The worst thing is when acquaintances think that stories are either about the author or them. The Lindsey Nolan character in the Woods Hole Mysteries trilogy has a pretty interesting sex life. An acquaintance, eyebrow raised in titillation, commented to me that “You’ve had an interesting life.” Hmm. Lindsey Nolan and all of my characters are fictional. They’re creations of my imagination, but they’re not me. Acquaintances have also seen themselves in my characters, which causes a bit of tension. Again, I stress that the characters are not real, nor based on real people in my life. I’m sorry that some people may see facets of themselves in my villains and shitheads. It’s their problem, not mine.<br /> <br /><strong>What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Every time my publisher, Michael, sends me a box of a newly published book and I hold it in my hand for a first time, I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of joy. I love doing blog interviews like this one. It’s a rare and lovely opportunity to reflect on one’s writing experiences. It’s been wonderful to meet other writers, especially after being surrounding by professors for my entire career. Writers are a very generous and warm group of individuals.<br />
<br />What do you like doing when you aren't writing?<br />
I have a lot of restless energy. I mentioned my passion for dancing, but I also love to motorcycle ride, snorkel/swim, ski/snowboard and do yoga with my daughter, eat Indian food and discuss literature with my son, backpack and boat with my sweetheart, and spend time with my parents and siblings. I have wonderful people in my life. I’m blessed.<br /><br /><strong>Have you attended any writing courses?</strong> <br />
<br />
Never. I taught myself to write novels with no guidance. I just slog away at it. It’s a process like everything. I hope that I’m getting better with each book.<br />
<br /><strong>Could you give me a sentence/short paragraph on each of your books?</strong><br />
<br />
The Woods Hole Mysteries trilogy, The Bottom Dwellers: A redemption story about two troubled loners, an alcoholic inventor (Lindsey Nolan) and a teenaged prostitute/heroin addict (Maggie May), with a subplot about obsessive professional jealousy and theft. Published September 2015.<br />
<br />
Ægir’s Curse: A Viking plague rising from the waters off of Cape Cod and stolen Vinland map ignite a chain of catastrophic events for Lindsey Nolan, Maggie May and the other inhabitants of a small seaside village. Published November 2015.<br />
<br />
The Bends: Maggie May has weeks until graduation and the promise of a dream job making underwater documentaries, when a serial killer strikes at her art college and she becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation. Coming spring 2016.<br />
<br />
The Chesapeake Tugboat Murder series, Vital Spark: Marine biologist, Alex Allaway, returns to her childhood home of River Glen to find her grandfather murdered, and a piece of eight and cryptic map clinched in his hand. Alex’s search for the elusive River Glen treasure reignites a blood feud between the descendants of two rival pirate families. Under contract with Penmore Press and coming 2016.<br />
<br />
Spider: A deranged professor at Tolchester College on the Chesapeake conducts very bad science with Atrax robustus, the Australian funnel spider. 95% complete.<br />
<br /><strong>How do you structure when writing a book - do you start with an outline, plot each chapter or just write and see where it goes from there?</strong><br />
<br />
Last summer I was driving my boat under some cliffs in the Chesapeake when I noticed an abandoned cottage that had slipped over the edge. This gave me the idea for the inciting incident in Spider, where a large wake created by a speeding yacht hits the cliff and causes the dirt wall to collapse. When a rickety cottage topples off the edge of the cliff, a mass grave is exposed underneath it. So I get some initial idea like this and formulate a loose plot, then start writing. I let the details emerge spontaneously. That spontaneity is the most enjoyable part of the process for me. It’s fascinating the way characters evolve and take on a life of their own. I believe that the subconscious mind is more intelligent than the conscious mind, which allows a character to percolate in the writer’s subconscious waiting to express her/himself. <br />
<br /><strong>What social media platforms do you use?</strong><br />
<br />
I work with an amazing web designer, Midori Snyder from Penmore Press, who created a highly visual website for me (<a href="http://www.leahdevlin.com/">www.leahdevlin.com</a>). Check it out to see my photos of Woods Hole, the Chesapeake, and my travels to Ireland, England and Norway. The website also has some essays on what inspired me to write. Very soon I’m going to incorporate audio readings from some of my novels so I hope you’ll stop by and listen. I use also Facebook (Leah Devlin Author), and Instagram (devlinleah) so join me there. Blog interviews, like yours, David, are tremendously fun!<br /><br />
<strong>How much do you feel you've improved in the last few years?</strong><br /> <br />I’ve been working hard to simplify and increase the pacing and tension. My goal is to get the reader’s heart thumping in their chest.<br />
<br /><strong>What is your favourite thing you've written?</strong><br />
<br />
Like children, you love your stories in different ways. I love the redemption aspect and hopefulness at the end of The Bottom Dwellers. It’s a story of human resiliency and unlikely friendships. I love the Vikings history in Ægir’s Curse and the introduction of the marine biologist, Jessie McCabe, who discovers the Viking longship. In The Bends, I love the pure goodness of the detective, Bill Bleach, and Maggie emerging as a painter of extraordinary promise.<br />
<br />
My favourite novel is the upcoming Vital Spark. The quirky town of River Glen, with its rich pirate history, the annual pirate festival-bacchanal, and oddball inhabitants were a delight to create. I love its characters, the scatter-brained marine biologist, dazzling Scottish actress, world-weary detective, philandering grandfather, the kooky palm-reader, and the 17th century pirates, especially the avenging Giles Blood-hand and the sadistic Captain Bartholomew Dodd, all of them! <br />
<br /><strong>What's your favourite character archetype of literature?</strong><br /> <br />I’m fascinated with detectives, and the three I’ve created so far are very distinct from one another. The Norwegian detective, Sven Halverson, in Ægir’s Curse is suave, cosmopolitan, repulsed by everything American, obsessed with restoring the stolen Vinland map to Viking hands and equally obsessed with bedding the irresistible man magnet, Lindsey Nolan.<br />
Bill Bleach of The Bends is the antithesis to Sven Halverson. He’s young, awkward, earnest, a starry-eyed romantic, and easily flustered by attractive women. He’s a bumbling mess in the presence of Lindsey Nolan, and Maggie, the art student and prime suspect in The Bends. There’s not malicious or devious bone in Bill’s body.<br /> <br />I adore Jay Braden in the Chesapeake Tugboat Murders (Vital Spark and Spider). He’s a hard-boiled Baltimore cop who relocates to the quiet village of River Glen in the hopes of healing his wife who’s spiralling into madness. He’s so human. He drinks too much, ignores his gym membership, lusts after the lovely medical examiner, struggles to mentor two millennial cops who are addicted to their cell phones, all while chasing murderers.<br /><br /><strong>What scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?</strong><br />
<br />
Alcoholism, drug addiction and prostitution were obviously difficult topics to delve into when writing The Bottom Dwellers. Two deaths that occur in the rehab are tragic. Yet in the same story, I was howling outright when writing the near-surreal scene when the engineering professor, Karen Battersby, is amidst the Ewoks and Stormtroopers at ComicCon. There’s a jarring juxtaposition between the two women engineers: Dr. Lindsey Nolan, who’s struggling to get sober in rehab, and Dr. Karen Battersby, who resides in the fantasy world of online gaming.<br />
<br />
There’s a lot of humour in the Chesapeake Tugboat Murder series. The elders of River Glen (who did their share of LSD in the 60s) have a vast crop of marijuana so the village is full of happy stoners. <br />
<br /><strong>Do you believe in writers block? If so, have you ever had to overcome it?</strong> <br />
<br />
I’m not convinced that it really exists.<br />
<br />
One’s energy and levels of creativity oscillate so I’m patient with myself. If I’m mentally tired, I write anyway, knowing that if it’s less than good, I’ll go back and fix it when my mind’s fresh. The delete button is a great ally. If I hit an obstinate roadblock, I back off on the story for a few days and let my subconscious figure it out. Roadblocks mostly appear as I’m starting to write the climax of the story where the plot lines converge and the loose ends need tying up with a satisfying and credible resolution. <br />
<br /><strong>Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br /> <br />Believe in yourself. Re-write. Simplify. Write because you love it, not to make money. Write what you want to write, not what others want you to write. <strong>(My sentiment exactly!)</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you, Leah, it has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and to delve into your writing process and thoughts.<br /><br />To connect with Leah please click on the links below:</strong><br />
<strong></strong> </div>
<a href="http://www.leahdevlin.com/">www.leahdevlin.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.penmorepress.com/penmore_authors_/leah-devlin.html">http://www.penmorepress.com/penmore_authors_/leah-devlin.html</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leah-Devlin/e/B0195IOS8M/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0">http://www.amazon.com/Leah-Devlin/e/B0195IOS8M/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0</a><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /></div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-19996546796798994252016-02-27T06:40:00.001-08:002016-02-27T06:40:59.725-08:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH AMIRA AWAAD<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNvsm1HfjhkXK702rs2-NIfllCqWuLjFPuV6sEgoTKdc9P15V4RYqejJI1kOZ3Wp3QnVWJWSrhqD9aHJ8jyPM9Wz8JmTmiuQuiWFJxcI9fKbHijjwnWeBwtfpKY9bQRcZLgB2v4w6QZc/s1600/AA2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNvsm1HfjhkXK702rs2-NIfllCqWuLjFPuV6sEgoTKdc9P15V4RYqejJI1kOZ3Wp3QnVWJWSrhqD9aHJ8jyPM9Wz8JmTmiuQuiWFJxcI9fKbHijjwnWeBwtfpKY9bQRcZLgB2v4w6QZc/s320/AA2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am delighted to announce that author Amira Awaad features next in the series.</strong><strong> As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you very much.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Amira, tell us about your first novel?</strong> <br />
<br />
The Ankhs: Red Marks the Child is a wicked, little tale of historical fantasy. Set in Ancient Egypt, it's brimming with allusions to modern known gods and goddesses. Specifically, it follows the life and tale of Hathor, who, in this telling of the story, wasn't a goddess; wasn't quite human, either. <br />
<br />
I started writing it in 2011. At the time, I was a single, working mother, a master's student, and juggling to master time management. I've been writing for as long as I remember, and in this time of my life, I started to have many recurring dreams of being alive in Ancient Egypt. Then the muse began to whisper in my ears, even in my waking hours. So, between submitting assignments and doing laundry at 1:00 a.m., I wrote The Ankhs.<br />
<br />
<strong>So do you work with a publisher or have a literary agent?</strong><br />
<br />I do not have a literary agent. If I had spent the time trying to "secure" an agent, actually writing, I would be swimming in a stack of books by now.<br />
<br />
<strong>Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<br />
Most certainly self-published. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have a publisher look at our manuscript and say, "Yes, I approve this story." <br />
<br />
I will never wait for someone's permission to allow me to spin a tale.<br />
<br />
<strong>How many books have you written?</strong> <br />
<br />
Currently, I have three books out, and I'm writing my fourth. One book, "Living in the Shadows of the Pyramids", is a compilation of a selection of poetry. I was 15 the first time I shared a piece of my literature with the public, and it was in the form of poetry. This, particular, collection is the self-expression of my heritage; my homeland. It's the awe and joy I feel walking on Egypt's land. It's the scream in my mind for my people to wake up and become more than what they are today.<br />
<br />The second book, "Silently Yours, Lucienne", is akin to the proverbial "coming out of the closet". All the years I've spent writing online and partaking in wonderful communities of people were spent communicating under the pseudonym Lucienne. When I decided to publish my work under my true name, Amira Awaad, I felt it was time to let everyone in on it. This book can be described as drops of my story, I suppose. It is a collection of triumphs and pitfalls in my life. It's one thing to read a page "About the Author", it's another to truly access the wo/man conjuring the stories.<br />
<br />Finally, there is The Ankhs: Red Marks the Child, which I have spoken about, above.<br />
<br />
<strong>Very interesting. I feel with your Ankhs that I really am treading Egypt's hot sands. Your descriptions are very vivid. What are you working on now?</strong> <br />
<br />
The Ankhs: Firebird, which is part 2 in the Ankhs series. This is my current project. I'm over the moon with the additions of several new key characters and how the tale is weaving into itself. It's definitely darker than its predecessor, but this was to be expected. Still, there is more magic to be conjured, new characters to fall in love with, and old friendships to re-kindle.<br />
<br /><strong>Any future projects?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Of course! I plan to write my way to the grave. When I have completed The Ankhs series, I plan on weaving a dystopian future in the form of Amber Rain.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong><br />
<br />
I have two. Is it cheating of I choose two? It's cheating, isn't it? Okay, I will answer in accordance....... Bitaah. Bitaah is introduced as a steel bender and he's brilliantly strong; but, that's not the reason he's my favorite character. He's lawful good, and yet he's committed his own little transgression. It's his relationship with Mirr-Ha that pulls at me. See, Bitaah never makes eye contact with anyone, and there's a good reason for that, but if I tell you, you'll miss out on a major plot twist! It's the way he yearns to look at her, but simply says "Dua Netjer etj" when she brings him fresh bread everyday. In the dead Pharaohnic language that no mortal man speaks today, it means "Thank God for you." <br />
<br />
<strong>I love that! How do you come up with the names for your characters?</strong><br />
<br />Research, mostly. My work is currently historical fantasy, so I try to develop names that were used once upon a time. I'll use that as my base and re-shape the names as I see fit for my story-telling.<br />
<br /><strong>Have events in your own life made their way into your stories?</strong><br />
<br />If Hemingway was right and writing is easy because all you have to do is sit at a typewriter and bleed, then, yes. We carry our DNA in our blood. We dream our stories in our mind. It is the same mind that carries every memory of every breath, inhaled. Writers are sensory beings and so we process life (both real and imagined) through every part of our being.<br />
<br />
<strong>One of my favourite Hemingway quotes is “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” </strong><br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />
On Amazon. As a self-published author, I need all the support I can get like the promotions my books can partake in with Kindle Select. To do that, though, I can't make them available anywhere else. So....Amazon :)<br />
<br /><strong>Well there are other ebook platforms, it's just that Amazon hold the majority and is extremely popular. </strong><br />
<strong>Which authors have enthralled you?</strong><br />
<br />
WOW! Ouch! It's like asking to choose your favourite children from among 1000! <br />
<br />
Let's start: Neil Gaiman. The man that said "The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before." There have been times in my life when I thought our minds were connect. There were times when I thought perhaps our souls have met in the land of dreams. Gaiman's stories have been a source of wide-eyed wonderment for me. If I were to go on, I'm afraid the audience would find themselves into a brand new novella dedicated to a great many people. You see, when I was a little girl, I read whatever I was given, but I wasn't very good at shopping for my own books. I bought a lot of literature that just wasn't written for me, and sadly, I didn't read them. As I grew older, I learned more about what I like, and have bought and read hundreds of books in those genres. So, to all the authors, self-published and otherwise, I thank them for sharing a very carefully folded piece of themselves, opened for me to read.<br />
<br /><strong>I love NG's work. What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Ha! Stan Lee! because, oh my God, his characters and comics are what fed my ever growing fantasy as a child. It was because of him that I dared to dream of the unreal. He created the modern day epic(s) for me, the way Homer did for the Ancient Greeks.... but that's just my opinion.<br />
<br />
<strong>Your opinion is not up for discussion, Amira :) </strong><br />
<strong>Now what book are you currently reading? </strong><br />
<br />
Don't laugh. Though I'm currently reading it, it isn't a current book. It's been around for a long, long time. So, without further ado, I am currently reading the complete collection of Miss Marple by Agatha Christie. Why? because she's the queen of murder! In our house, we grew up watching Perry Mason, Murder, She Wrote, Columbo, etc., when a show was on, it was a battle of wits between my family to see who would be the first to unravel the mystery. I love a good murder mystery, and Miss Marple really is one of the wittiest, sharp-minded, old women I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. <br />
<br /><strong>Where do you read mostly?</strong><br />
<br />
In bed, because I will read my way through to the wee hours of the morning; comfort is a plus.<br />
<br /><strong>How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
<br />
It depends which month of the year it is. I could (easily) read over eight books a month if I had the luxury of time. However, I am a teacher and an academic dean, in addition to which I lecture once a week (in the evening) at the university. Also, I am a daughter, a wife, and a mother to the three wonderful men in my life. So, I usually max out at two books a month.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I don't actually have a spot. In terms of location, my only limitation is that I have to be at home. I can't write at a cafe or restaurant, unless I'm doodling in my journal. If I'm composing, however, I must be at home; at my desk, on my couch, in my bed, or in the garden.<br />
<br />
<strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />
And now I'm going to cry. I do not own my time because of the multitude of tasks and obligations I am committed to, so I don't get to write every day. I might write for an hour on one day and four hours on another day and then live a few days without any writing. (But there will always be reading on those days :))<br />
<br />
<strong>As long as you find time to write, that's the main thing. </strong><br />
<strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<br />
Nope; absolutely not. Neil Degrasse Tyson once made the comparison that: arguing there's no life in space is like taking a cup of ocean water and saying there are no whales in the ocean. What do we know? Socrates once said that the wise man is he who knows that he knows nothing. When you write, you tell a story and our whole world is made up of stories. Look around you... Life is a story; both the life you live and the lives you know nothing about; all stories. Go ahead, write the unknown..... who knows?<br />
<br />
<strong>What challenges do you face when writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I write in silence and that says a lot. Composing a story bleeds every ounce of my focus. At any given time, when I write, I have several conversations happening simultaneously in my head. My brain constantly rewinds, fast forwards, pauses, etc. The smallest thing like the door opening and closing, or the phone ringing, throws me off. <br />
<br />
<strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong><br />
<br />
How real the characters become. Not just "believable", I'm talking about walking into the kitchen, making a coffee and all of them come sit with me at the table and we're chatting and laughing. THAT level of real. They're in my kitchen, they're in my car, they're in my bed, they hang out in my office.... and the best part: they're all "off-duty" at the time. So, while they still look like the characters I created and dress like them, they chill with me like actors who are not currently in front of the camera. There's a lot of story-related gossip involved.<br />
<br />
<strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
Nothing beats the feeling of finishing your book or reading a review posted by a stranger somewhere in the world who enjoyed your story. The worst part is editing, polishing, editing, polishing, aaaaaahhhhh!!!! The madness it drives you to. It's hard, when you're self-published and don't have a knowledgeable conglomerate of paid professionals who help with publishing, design, advertising and so on. Like most others like me, I depend, mostly, on word of mouth. <br />
<br />
<strong>What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Being sucked into a world of fantasy that I created by my own hand. I saw and lived things I'd never imagined or seen before. That was exciting! Also, my husband googled my book, once, and found that someone had recommended it to another person who was looking to read a little Ancient Egyptian Fantasy. That was incredibly flattering!<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you go about marketing your books?</strong><br />
<br />
Hahahahah! I used to. My goodness, when I think about the number of hours I spent on research and applications and God knows what..... I know how to make up stories and tell them. Other than that, I am an academic. Sadly, I don't know much about marketing and after all the time I lost trying to understand and learn the ropes in this area, I walked away from it. For me, I saw it as borrowed time that I do not have, though I did learn a lot. In the end, I've decided on a path that leads to my happiness, which is: I write. I write for me, I write for the world, I write for every mortal soul who will ever turn the pages of my stories. No more... no less.<br />
<br />
<strong>What do you like doing when you aren't writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Everything! If not writing, then I will read, photograph, cook! (I love to cook) I will visit my Mom's grave because, although it's rather morbid to some, it is the place where I feel the most serene. I will play games! because I love playing games with my family... let's see: Clash of clans, Plague Inc., Arcane Legends, D&D, Ticket to Ride (although that one has just been temporarily reinstated in our house since the last one resulted in a near triple homicide when my husband, my son, and me deliberately cut off each other's railroads. It got really bad. I daresay worse than Monopoly).<br />
<br />
<strong>You like D&D - nerd alert! No, seriously, that's cool. </strong><br />
<strong>Have you attended any writing courses? </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
No. As a student, I attended class, paid attention, read like an addict, and self-studied everything else. Mr. McMahon was my 9th Grade English teacher. He taught me how to develop my voice and be in control of it through word choice, and not ten exclamation points. I always think of him kindly when I stand in class with my students.<br />
<br />
I am a part of the Rowayat family. Rowayat is Egypt's first literary journal and I submit my work to them, regularly. On occasion, I've been invited to art galleries and other literary events to offer a reading of my work.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you watch TV? </strong><br />
<br />
Yay, Netflix! It's the only way I get to watch anything. My favorite shows are: The Flash, Gotham, Sherlock, Hannibal, Game of Thrones, Attack on Titan (Anime), Blue Exorcist (Anime), Death Note (Anime), Firefly, Constantine, Big Bang Theory, Supernatural, and Dexter.<br />
<br />
<strong>Your favourite films?</strong><br />
<br />
Alice in Wonderland (the mad hatter *girlie squeal*), The Neverending Story (still not sure what name he calls out in the end), The Princess Bride (never bet against a Sicilian when death is on the line), The Labyrinth (David Bowie! R.I.P.), Mission Impossible (all except the one with the Chimera), James Bond (is that your real name?), Silence of the Lambs (Hello, Clarice.) There are too many....there are just too many....<br />
<br />
<strong>Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
<br />
Tell your stories your way. <br />
You are not alone in the world. <br />
There will always be those that will have the capacity to see through your eyes.<br />
<br />
<br /><strong>Thank you, Amira, it has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you.<br /></strong><br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /> </div>
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-91985305198394861382016-02-19T01:41:00.000-08:002016-02-19T01:41:10.973-08:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH MERCEDES ROCHELLE<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitym6JRe_jH5Tm5LW8Ah6Z6bjqEltpbS0mTwggJsWBu93dXY0ZFw9mPPNNqS_Xg3NlCBVfZFbQIUkSiDOMK9Zu8ZbPQlcoDCDU9BJzzrt7JM1Kq1tMXdaW_5k2bROsJH36cqXnKjCqyZU/s1600/MercedesTapestry9%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitym6JRe_jH5Tm5LW8Ah6Z6bjqEltpbS0mTwggJsWBu93dXY0ZFw9mPPNNqS_Xg3NlCBVfZFbQIUkSiDOMK9Zu8ZbPQlcoDCDU9BJzzrt7JM1Kq1tMXdaW_5k2bROsJH36cqXnKjCqyZU/s320/MercedesTapestry9%255B1%255D.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I am delighted to announce that author Mercedes Rochelle features next in the series.</strong><strong> As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong> </strong><br />
<strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you.</strong></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Tell us about your first novel?</strong> <br />
<br />
My first novel, HEIR TO A PROPHECY began over thirty years ago. In the early ‘80s I moved to New York to be near the publishing centre of the universe (no kidding). I also needed better libraries than I could find in my home town of St. Louis for my research. At the time, I was accomplished enough to catch the attention of not one but two literary agents, but neither was able to place my historical novel; I don’t think the genre was well enough established at the time. After telling me to cut 200 pages from my masterpiece, the second agent dropped me like a proverbial hot potato, and in disgust I shelved my novel and moved on. For the next two decades or so I consoled myself with my own business, but I essentially thought I was a failure. Two careers later, I realized why I was so unhappy and decided to try writing again. I blew the dust off my manuscript and gave it another rewrite. Was I in for a rude awakening! Social media? What’s that? If I had stayed with it, who knows where I would be today? <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxqq5ZCr0Q2KKFFBxZMYWl0lQu-elWAlLZDeL5qB3EyZDzH65DP4FurwfL4joDLYdGyOtYq71mzdFm9ZdvYxeabjt2HenYPbwVgRMEjM4K6ATL3V_D_9gaqUbcU9bQ81VK9iqmhxgGt4/s1600/HeirCover%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxqq5ZCr0Q2KKFFBxZMYWl0lQu-elWAlLZDeL5qB3EyZDzH65DP4FurwfL4joDLYdGyOtYq71mzdFm9ZdvYxeabjt2HenYPbwVgRMEjM4K6ATL3V_D_9gaqUbcU9bQ81VK9iqmhxgGt4/s320/HeirCover%255B1%255D.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>I do like that cover. Are you self-published or traditional?</strong><br />
<br />
My first two novels were produced by a co-op publisher, but I intend to self-publish the next one.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you have an agent? If so, at what point in your writing career did that happen?</strong> <br />
<br />
At the beginning of my writing career, in the early ‘80s, I moved to New York thinking I needed to be nearer the publishing world. Looking back, I see how foolish that was, but at the time I must have thought no one would talk to me if I wasn’t nearby. Even then there was a lot of competition (not like now!) but I managed to interest an agent with my first novel. He invited me to visit his office. Imagine that! A New York agent! I had these grand visions of a fabulous view of the city and an office you could dance across. Imagine my surprise when he ushered me into a room the size of a closet, piled floor to ceiling with papers and manuscripts. I don’t even think he had a window. It was all very sobering. Still, I was committed so I trusted him with my future. I didn’t think he tried very hard, and after a few rejections he returned my book with a nice note of dismissal. Undeterred, a couple of years later I tried again and landed a second agent, who assured me that nobody would publish a lengthy novel and I would have to cut about 200 pages. I think I cut the heart out of that book (and threw the original away in a fit of pique), but I did what she said and went on to book number two. Alas, my doomed manuscript came back to me in the mail with a curt apology, and I took it very hard. I was only about 30 years old at the time, and I hadn’t developed a thicker skin. That was the end of my experience with literary agents!<br />
<br />
<strong>I'm trying the traditional route and have received two rejections so far. So I'm thinking hard of a sales pitch, why the story <em>is </em>worth reading and why should I be on their client list.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>So how many books have you written?</strong><br />
<br />
HEIR TO A PROPHECY is what I would call a “sequel” to Macbeth; History and Destiny compete to bring us the story of Saxons, Normans, and Scotland as seen by the Heir of Banquo. My second novel, GODWINE KINGMAKER is book one of “The Last Great Saxon Earls”. This is a three-book series; I am just finishing up THE SONS OF GODWINE and hope to have FATAL RIVALRY out in time for the Battle of Hastings anniversary. I believe that Harold and Tostig’s rivalry was directly responsible for Harold’s failure to defend his kingdom against the Normans. But was Tostig such a villain? Perhaps there is more to his story than we originally thought.<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you start with an outline, plot or just go straight into the story and see where it goes?</strong><br />
<br />
Historical fiction gives us the plot already, which really helps because my imagination doesn’t work that way. I can take an existing theme and build upon it, but I can’t seem to fabricate a story out of nothing. But I admit, I’m not very good at making (or following) an outline. So far I haven’t written anything without having immersed myself in the period. At each phase of the book, I sit down with a pile of reference books and sort my way through an event. There are times I only have the sketchiest of suggestions to work from, and can’t quite figure out how to get from point A to point B. Sometimes all the historians repeat the same single sentence. When that happens, I go to the keyboard and start typing. If I am lucky (and I usually am) the most amazing things happen and a character takes charge of the story. If s/he is well developed enough, there is only one way that character is going to act. Once in a while I am completely astounded at a turn of events, or something happens that references a thing I mentioned in passing 30 pages before. Is this my subconsciousness working? I think so! Unfortunately for me, this style of writing demands that my stories take a long part of a character’s life. I haven’t been able to figure out how to extract, for instance, a two-year period and write a story about it. Or one major event. I feel like I’m leaving too much out!<br />
<br />
<strong>Have events in your own life made their way into your stories?</strong><br />
<br />
I don’t think I’ll ever write about today, or even this century. It seems I am fascinated by larger-than-life historical figures, and that cuts me out! However, maybe that’s not exactly true. I used to work for a family-owned company who were quite dynamic. The father, almost a surrogate for me, was this benign-seeming patriarch who ruled from his big office desk. His eldest son, the handsome one, was genial to all and sundry; he was out there getting the big accounts (being the hero), far removed from the day-to-day aggravations. The second son, the cocky one, was in charge of the warehouse and drove everybody crazy. But he was the most clever even though he was obnoxious. I spent years watching them, and without that observation I wouldn’t have found it so easy to give voices to Godwine and sons. <br />
<br />
<strong>Is the medieval age your favourite time period?</strong><br />
<br />
I absolutely love the Middle Ages, especially the years 1000-1450. It all started when I stumbled across the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) just after my college years. Back then, I thought I didn’t like history so I majored in English Literature. English was not a bad choice for a future writer, but I think a history degree would have served me better! But I digress. The SCA was my first introduction to living history, and I realized in a flash what I had been missing. There was a story behind all those dates and names. It wasn’t a big step from re-enacting to historical fiction then onto the “hard stuff”. I’m not even sure what brought me to the eleventh century, but I have a sneaking suspicion I was inspired by “The Song of the Shield Wall” which is a long-standing favourite of my old Calontir compatriots. Here’s one of the stanzas that always got my blood going: <br />
<br />
<em>Hasten, O house-carls, north to the Danelaw;<br />Harald Hardrada's come over the sea!<br />His longships he's laden with baresarks from Norway<br />To claim Canute's crown and our master to be.<br />Bitter he'll find here the bite of our spear-points,<br />Hard ruling Northmen too strong to die old.<br />We'll grant him six feet - - plus as much as he's taller - -<br />Of land that the sons of the Saxons will hold!</em><br />
<br />
You can even hear this song on YouTube, a tribute to its staying power. Much as I love the later Middle Ages, I’ve never heard anything that stirred me like this. And so I had to learn what it was all about! Before I knew it I was immersed in Harold Godwineson’s world.<br />
<br />
<strong>About ten years ago I was very interested in doing a story about a sort of Hereward the Wake character, but I was told that ''no one would be interested in that era''. So more fool me I stopped my writing. Now I realise some people who think they know what readers want - DO NOT. </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Are there any other historical periods that interest you?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I’m afraid that is a challenge! Colleen McCullough inspired me to read more on Ancient Rome. I would dearly love to write a novel about Richard II. Alexandre Dumas inspired me to read more on 17th century France (and I even learned to fence when I first moved to New York). Toulouse Lautrec inspired me to learn more about La Belle Epoque. I am obsessed with Napoleon Bonaparte. And recently, I have become enamoured with the life and times of William Shakespeare. Can I write a novel about any and all of these eras? Can you imagine the research involved? Would a reader jump around from century to century with the same author? Time will tell!<br />
<br />
<strong>Anything in the works?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m thinking of going even farther back in the eleventh century and tackling the story of Thorkell the Tall, one of Canute’s early supporters and Jarl of East Anglia in 1017. He was originally a Danish raider, commander of the Jomvikings who later signed up with Aethelred the Unready against Sweyn Forkbeard (though again, I think there’s more to this story than meets the eye). After Sweyn’s death, a purge of Danish nobles sent an irate Thorkell back to Denmark, and he returned to England at Canute’s side. However, his relationship with Canute was far from smooth. Looks like a lot of adventures here! <br />
<br />
<strong>Interesting! So who is your favourite character of your books and why?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I love Earl Godwine and would like to set the record straight; he had many detractors who have tried to make him look like a treacherous and greedy villain. Of course he was an opportunist. Who wasn’t?<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you come up with the names of your characters? Use records? Other chronicles?</strong><br />
<br />
Most of my characters are actual historical people (or possibly apocryphal, but with real names). The few made-up characters come out of baby-names books!<br />
<br />
<strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
They are available in both Paperback and eBook, including Kindle and Nook.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who publishes your body of work?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
My first two books were published by Top Hat Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing. For most of their writers John Hunt is a co-op publisher. For my upcoming novel, I have decided to go Indie.<br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I have two computers: my desktop for my business and my laptop (standing up) for my writing. They are side-by-side in my loft (I live in a log home). Hemingway was right! Standing up to write gets the juices flowing.<br />
<br />
<strong>Oh, I can't do that! I do pace a bit and hover over maps. Does that count? Ok, how many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I try to write about 2 hours a day in late afternoon. Can’t give up my day job! (I sell Real Estate)<br />
<br />
<strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Not at all. What I know is boring! What I read about is exciting. <br />
<br />
<strong>Nice answer! What challenges do you face when you're writing?</strong><br />
<br />
I love writing Historical Fiction because I cannot come up with an original plot to save my life. If I had to make up pretend people and conjure up a pretend story, I would be absolutely flummoxed. I know; I’ve tried it. Whereas I can take a skeleton of an event (we don’t get much more from 1000 years ago) and put flesh on it. What I love best is the research… that AHA moment when a stray sentence in a source suddenly ties everything together. <br />
<br />
For instance… when researching HEIR TO A PROPHECY I discovered an incredibly obscure source that outlined the life of my hero Walter, ancestor to the Royal Stewarts. This unlikely scenario sent Walter to Brittany where he married the daughter of Count Alain le Rouge and fought on the Norman side at the Battle of Hastings. At the time, I had no clue who this Alain was. Imagine my surprise to discover that my Breton Count eventually became the Earl of Richmond and one of the wealthiest men in England! More to the point, I recently discovered that in William Rufus’ time, King Malcolm III wanted to marry his daughter to Count Alain (though Rufus refused permission). How did that come about? Could it be that Malcolm met Alain because Walter brought his bride (Alain’s daughter) to live in Scotland? Pure conjecture on my part, but it certainly made sense to me! I learned this titbit just in time to include it in the novel…several years after my original research. <br />
<br />
<strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m not very confident yet, and it doesn’t take much to feel inadequate. I need to worry less about being successful and concentrate more on discipline. So far, the best reward is in the “doing”. <br />
<br />
<strong>I know the feeling. What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing?</strong><br />
<br />
My happiest days were spent in the basement of Princeton Library blowing the dust off books that hadn’t been touched in years. Thanks to the internet I don’t do that anymore, but on the other hand I have access to material I wouldn’t have dreamed of in those days. I also gave myself the pleasure of going to Scotland and researching the sites from my first book, though in the late ‘80s places were a lot harder to locate. <br />
<br />
<strong>Which authors have left you spellbound?</strong><br />
<br />
I first discovered Historical Fiction reading Alexandre Dumas and Sir Walter Scott. It was a whole new world for me! I spent my college years studying the 19th century novel, then discovered Arthur Conan Doyle. I was so thrilled to stumble across SIR NIGEL and THE WHITE COMPANY in a used bookstore. This was my introduction to the Hundred Years War and I never looked back.<br />
<br />
When I finally jumped to the 20th century, I became enamoured with Sharon Penman and Colleen McCullough, and more recently Bernard Cornwell, of course!<br />
<br />
<strong>What writer or book has had the biggest influence on your work?</strong><br />
<br />
To this day I think Dumas is as close to perfect as you will get. His characters are delightful and his action is non-stop. I learned French just so I could read him in the original language. <br />
<br />
<strong>Where do you read mostly?</strong><br />
<br />
I read my fiction at night before bedtime and my non-fiction in the morning with my coffee in bed! <br />
<br />
<strong>How many books do you read a month, would you say?</strong><br />
<br />
I’m a slow reader: 3 or 4 per month. <br />
<br />
<strong>Do you have any *must see* TV programmes?</strong><br />
<br />
I love documentaries, especially about Art and History. At the beginning of my career, I published three Art Indexes by Subject (Historical Art Index, Mythology and The Classical World Index, and Post-Biblical Saints Art Index). Can you say self-taught? I’m in love with Art and can’t get enough of it. <br />
<br />
<strong>And your favourite films...?</strong><br />
<br />
Hands-down, I love “The Lion In Winter”. I hate to admit it, but I loved “Gladiator”. I will always watch a period film whenever possible, even if the story is a stretch. <br />
<br />
<strong>What's your favourite season and why?</strong><br />
<br />
I love late Spring the best; watching flowers come to life. I enjoy my garden and get all excited every planting season.<br />
<br />
<strong>And the last question: what advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
<br />
I can only speak from my own experience. If you need to take time off, don’t be afraid to do so. My hiatus was a little ridiculous, but when I did come back, I was so invigorated it was almost worth it. If I had forced myself to keep writing, I may have burned out. When I did get serious again, I was much more mature, better read, and I had a much thicker skin. Failure will do that to you; it probably makes you stronger than success. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you, Mercedes, it has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you.<br /><br />To connect with Mercedes please click on the links below:</strong><br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
Web Page: <a href="http://www.mercedesrochelle.com/">http://www.MercedesRochelle.com</a></div>
<div>
Blog: <a href="http://www.historicalbritainblog.com/">http://www.HistoricalBritainBlog.com</a></div>
<div>
Twitter: @authorRochelle</div>
<div>
Facebook: <a href="http://www.mercedesrochelle.net/">http://www.MercedesRochelle.net</a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
And for Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Prophecy-Mercedes-Rochelle-ebook/dp/B00PYXFJ1I/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453856315&sr=1-1&keywords=heir+to+a+prophecy">http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Prophecy-Mercedes-Rochelle-ebook/dp/B00PYXFJ1I/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453856315&sr=1-1&keywords=heir+to+a+prophecy</a></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Godwine-Kingmaker-Great-Saxon-Earls-ebook/dp/B00UMARTCU/ref=pd_sim_351_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=619s9mx9u1L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=1Z5WFMCDEK70F1A27NKD">http://www.amazon.com/Godwine-Kingmaker-Great-Saxon-Earls-ebook/dp/B00UMARTCU/ref=pd_sim_351_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=619s9mx9u1L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=1Z5WFMCDEK70F1A27NKD</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2354732482690419132.post-21412852057681144992016-02-18T02:04:00.003-08:002016-02-18T02:04:53.565-08:00AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH MARTIN LAKE<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74LHcky4I2gwYr5yQO8UcrPYmJqQys3p_KKRoFMhi0xjH9pLHdOA4J7Cx3yR1Q2hWVBz2Bfx9O2Iu28JwU8zTedyfAj_iuv_Vogq1IYT1uvolr8i8pvGVirNpA6wMqceUOJPIubf0bvc/s1600/MARTIN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74LHcky4I2gwYr5yQO8UcrPYmJqQys3p_KKRoFMhi0xjH9pLHdOA4J7Cx3yR1Q2hWVBz2Bfx9O2Iu28JwU8zTedyfAj_iuv_Vogq1IYT1uvolr8i8pvGVirNpA6wMqceUOJPIubf0bvc/s320/MARTIN.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_56c58face9b795815171944">
<strong>I am delighted to announce that author Martin Lake features next in the series.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> As you may be aware I asked authors on my facebook page if they would like to appear in a series of *interviews*. I wanted to connect with other writers, find out what they write about, why they write, their thoughts about the writing process, their drives, and learn a little more about them.</strong><br />
<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><div class="text_exposed_show">
<strong> </strong><br />
<strong>Please find the full interview below (also linked to my twitter, tumblr, facebook, Goodreads, and google + account). </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> Please do share with your circle of book friends and leave me a like/comment - thank you.</strong></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DNWEZZLIcDe17r9pE61NX241J0-b2Ho3HWD7OfqUe6OaFQMrkGbxVUX_uofgnWPA4ciwz4xAbKAR_CD9LUJTgswRHCWX2vhCQtXijqWOW_O8SSNhiPzUDCqWPPJN0ZxjPSqKF23rdhM/s1600/61zN6hb2JrL__UY250_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DNWEZZLIcDe17r9pE61NX241J0-b2Ho3HWD7OfqUe6OaFQMrkGbxVUX_uofgnWPA4ciwz4xAbKAR_CD9LUJTgswRHCWX2vhCQtXijqWOW_O8SSNhiPzUDCqWPPJN0ZxjPSqKF23rdhM/s400/61zN6hb2JrL__UY250_.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>Tell us about your first novel? When did you start writing and why?</strong><br />
<br />
I wrote my first historical novel when I woke up early one morning and realised that as I loved writing and history I should combine the two. It was about an Elizabethan spy and is still unpublished. The first novel I published is The Flame of Resistance. I always felt that the Norman invasion was a traumatic, destructive event for ordinary English people and when I came across shadowy references that Edgar, the young heir to the throne, had actually been proclaimed King after Harold’s death at Hastings I thought I’d investigate. I realised that here was a story which resonated with me. I wrote it over many years, taking each chapter to a writing group I attended. Instant audience and instant feedback.<br /><br /><strong>I'm looking out for your Elizabethan story and I know a great deal many readers will do too - so hurry up and release it! :)</strong> <br />
<br />
<strong>Looking at your body of work, is the Anglo-Saxon era your favourite time period?</strong> <br />
<br />
Yes. In fact it's probably my favourite<br />
<br />
<strong>How many books have you written?</strong> <br />
<br />
There are now four in my The Lost King series: The Flame of Resistance, Triumph and Catastrophe, Blood of Ironside and In Search of Glory. I think there will be two or three more in the series. <br />
The Artful Dodger is about the young villain’s life after being transported to Australia. Outcasts is about the fate of the commoners who were knighted to lead the defence of Jerusalem against Saladin, The Long War for England concerns Alfred the Great’s wars against the Danes. <br />
And I have two Tudor novels, A Love Most Dangerous and Very Like a Queen, about a fictional mistress of Henry VIII. <br /><br /><strong>What are you working on now?</strong><br />
<br />
Like Marty McFly I’m going back in time, to Crete of four thousand years ago.<br /><br /><strong>You have a DeLorean? Ok, any future projects in mind?</strong><br />
<br />
I want to continue the life of Edgar with another two or three novels. My book about Alfred the Great will continue to include his daughter and son’s wars and I’m planning the follow up to Outcasts. Then I’m going to have a go at something lighter.<br />
<br />
<strong>Going back to your writing, do you start with an outline, a plot or just go straight into the story and see where it goes?</strong> <br />
<br />
I start by listing all the historical events that took place in the period of the novel, then seeing which are relevant to my story. I do a very limited outline of each chapter saying what happens. I do this on Scrivener. I'm not patient enough to write long outlines and even if I did I'd either lose or ignore them. But the outline I do provides the spine of the story. But I always find new nuggets of research which alter the flow of the story, or new characters, or existing characters who insist on doing certain things I hadn't intended or planned for. <br />
<br />
My character Alice Petherton who is mistress to Henry VIII, started as one sentence and then evolved in front of my eyes. Very exciting.<br /><br /><strong>Who is your favourite character of your books?</strong><br />
<br />
This is tough, it’s like asking a father to name his favourite child. I think I’d have to say Godwin, who is Edgar’s best friend, because of his loyalty, his honesty and his sense of humour under difficult circumstances. But I’d like to add a woman as well, Mrs Bullmore in The Artful Dodger. She’s hard and soft, and immensely likeable.<br /><br /><strong>Where can readers find your books?</strong><br />
<br />
On Amazon. I think some paperbacks are available in bookstores in America. <br />
<br />
<strong>Do you have a literary agent?</strong><br />
<br />
No. I gave up seeking one many years ago and don't regret doing so.<br />
<br />
<strong>Who publishes your body of work?</strong> <br />
<br />
I self-publish the majority of my works through Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace. Two of my novels, A Love Most Dangerous and Very Like a Queen are published by Lake Union Publishing, one of the Amazon imprints.<br />
<br />
<strong>How do you come up with the names of your characters?</strong> <strong>Council rolls? Historical records?</strong><br />
<br />
Many are real people so that makes life easier. Then I take great pains to make sure that the name is historically authentic, that it is not similar to the names of other characters in the book, that it sounds right and that in someway it captures the personality of the character. I have also given some of the names of my family and friends to minor characters. (Minor to make sure that the name does not infringe the requirements I list above.)<br />
<strong><br />Where do you do your writing?</strong><br />
<br />
We’ve just moved apartment so I write at a desk in the corner of the living room. When I’m editing on a dead-line I go across the road to the library. My favourite place to edit was in a room which is part of the villa Katherine Mansfield lived in. Quiet and secluded and somehow haunted by her.<br /><br /><strong>How many hours a day do you write?</strong><br />
<br />
I get up early – between 5 and 6 am and write for about three or four hours max.<br /><br /><strong>Do you agree with the statement: write about what you know?</strong><br />
<br />
To some extent. But I’ve never been in a shield wall or in Henry VIII’s bed and it hasn’t stopped me writing about either of these things. Maybe it’s better to say: write about what fascinates you and what you can best connect with.<br /><br /><strong>What has surprised you most about writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Where ideas come from. A chance remark, a character who grows a life of his or her own, a doodle of an idea which becomes a full-blown novel. <br /><br /><strong>What are the best and worst things about being a writer?</strong><br />
<br />
Everything about it is wonderful. To be able to create new landscapes, bring people to the page, act as casting director, dialogue coach, producer and director all in my living room. I do get disappointed when something isn’t working but I know that I can just sit down and try to fix it. Someone once said that the best thing about being a writer is that you can do it anywhere which is also pretty great. (If any of your readers know who said this please let me know as I can’t remember.)<br /><br /><strong>What is the most exciting experience you've had as a result of writing? Perhaps in research?</strong><br />
<br />
Discovering Alice Petherton, the mistress of Henry VIII. Never thought I’d write a first-person novel from the point of view of a young woman. And, as a result of this, being published by Lake Union Publishing. <br /><br /><strong>How do you go about marketing your books?</strong><br />
<br />
I do the usual things when a book’s just come out: Facebook, Twitter and my mailing list. However, I suspect that the most important thing is to write the best book I can, and then another and then another. And to learn from them.<br /><br /><strong>What do you like doing when you aren't writing?</strong><br />
<br />
Talking with friends, exploring France where I’ve lived for four years and reading.<br /><br /><strong>Have you attended any writing courses?</strong><br />
<br />
The first writing course I experienced was one I taught on. I learnt a lot. Then I went on an adult evening class course which evolved into the writing group I mentioned earlier. I also did an online course with Stephen Carver at the University of East Anglia. The combination of looking at my own writing and the theoretical framework of the UEA course were hugely helpful. I really miss my group and am desperate to try to find or start another one.<br />
<br />
<strong>Have events in your own life made their way into your books?</strong> <br />
<br />
Not really, although I'm sure that some of my characters are as I'd like to be.<br />
<br />
<strong>Can you tell us which authors have enthralled you?</strong><br />
<br />
Tolkien, George MacDonald Fraser, Rosemary Sutcliff, James Joyce, Isaac Asimov.<br /><br /><strong>Is there a particular writer or perhaps a book that has had the biggest influence on you?</strong><br />
<br />
I suspect that deep down it’s a childhood favourite, Henry Treece, who wrote about the Vikings. But I’m completely awestruck by George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman novels and aspire to make mine as historically authentic and as entertaining. Flashman is a wonderful creation and the books are crammed with marvellous characters, many of them real historical figures. This is how to write historical fiction.<br /><br /><strong>Agreed, I started reading G.M.F's work a few years ago and they are fabulous. What book are you currently reading? </strong><br />
<br />
I’m currently reading Gladstone by Roy Hattersley. I suspect I’d dislike spending any time with Gladstone, can’t imagine a light lunch with him for example. Yet he was a giant with a great and noble heart. It’s a fascinating combination. I’ve just remembered he features in The Artful Dodger. <br />
In fiction I’m going to re-read Matthew Harffy’s second novel, The Cross and the Curse. Matthew really captures the times he writes about and is an enthralling story-teller. I think he’s one of the most exciting writers around. <br />
<br />
<strong>I've read Matthew's debut and I agree. </strong><strong>How many books do you get to read a month?</strong><br />
<br />
Not enough. Probably four to six. <br />
<br /><strong>What's your favourite season and why?</strong><br />
<br />
Spring, because of the promise. And it’s not too hot here – like a glorious English summer.<br /> <br /><strong>Lastly, what advice can you give to other writers?</strong><br />
<br />
Write what you love and enjoy. <br />
<br />
And spend time each day at your desk whether you feel like it or not.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Thank you, Martin, it has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you.<br /><br />To connect with Martin please click on the links below:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://martinlake.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0072c6;">martinlakewriting.wordpress.com</span></a><br /><br /><strong>To subscribe to Martin's new releases mailing list please click below:</strong><br /><a href="http://eepurl.com/DTnhb" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0072c6;">http://eepurl.com/DTnhb</span></a><br /><br /><strong>Facebook Page:</strong> <span><span><span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MartinLakeWriting" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0072c6;">https://www.facebook.com/MartinLakeWriting</span></a><span> <span title=";-)"><br /></span></span></span></span><strong>Twitter: @martinlake14</strong><br />
<br />
<a class="c_nobdr t_prs" href="http://amazon.com/author/martinlake" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0072c6;">amazon.com/author/martinlake</span></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
David Cook - Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14271873794225213268noreply@blogger.com2