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In the Land of Fire and Ashes: Progress Report
I’ve been silent about my current work-in-progress for a very, very long time. I apologize for that. It won’t surprise anyone when I say the last 18 months have been very… challenging. It’s been a year now since I last wrote about my one-on-one session with one of my writing inspirations, Stephen Lawhead. You can read the article I wrote about my time with him here. My primary purpose during my time with SRL was to work on the setting for my story. And boy did he ever help me! To summarize his advice, he told me I needed to find an anchor, something to root the reader into a…
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What is fantasy and where do my books fit in?
Your books are categorized for sale as fantasy, but you don’t have magic, no dragons, no creatures or other beings of any kind? What gives? Yes, my friend, that is correct. And I’ll tell you a secret: I wish I didn’t HAVE to categorize my books as fantasy. If it was up to me, I’d just call them fiction and be done with it. But the market is the market, and markets require categories within categories for selling things. The better your books breaks down into a subgenre, the easier it is to sell. So how did my books end up in fantasy? That answer requires a history lesson. This…
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The Howling of Wolves – A Conversation with Paula Lofting
Paula Lofting has published two novels in her family saga featuring, among other well known figures (like Harold Godwinson), the fictional family of Wulfhere, a thegn in Saxon Britain. For the short story anthology Hauntings, Paula brings us a story that comes out of one of those novels, pulling a thread from one scene and following it to give us an “off stage” look at one event in her bigger novel. It’s backstory for a very life changing happening in the life of one character. So I invited Paula to have a conversation with me about the context of her novels and the story that developed from it for the…
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Island of Gold
1454. A noble French falconer. A spirited merchant’s daughter. And a fateful decision that changes their destiny forever. When Cédric is recruited by the Knights Hospitaller to the Greek island of Rhodes, his wife Sophie jumps at the chance to improve their fortunes. After a harrowing journey to Rhodes, Cédric plunges into the world of the knights—while Sophie is tempted by the endless riches that flow into the bustling harbor. But their dazzling new home has a dark side. Slaves toil endlessly to fortify the city walls, and rumors of a coming attack by the Ottoman Turks swirl in the streets. Desperate to gain favor with the knights and secure…
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THE MIGHTY KINGMAKER—Traitor or Misunderstood?
Guest Post by J.P. Reedman Richard Neville, popularly known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was one of the movers and shakers of the 15th century. During the earlier part of the Wars of the Roses, he went from initial support of Henry VI to a staunch Yorkist supporting Richard Duke of York. After York and Warwick’s own father, the Earl of Salisbury, were killed by Lancastrian forces at Wakefield, he went on to assist York’s son Edward, his cousin, in his bid for the throne—but turned his coat when his relationship with Edward soured. Eventually he would ally himself with Henry VI’s Queen, Margaret of Anjou, marrying his daughter Anne (later…
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Interview My Character: Casmir
Originally published July 3, 2019 I’m excited to announce that my own Casmir has been interviewed by the wonderful Paula Lofting on her blog. You can read it here. Here’s the very opening of the interview: Well, my Lord Casmir, please do sit down I hope you have had a pleasant journey here and the roads were not too full of brigands? Casmir: Agrius is quite safe for travel, I assure you. Then please, come into my parlour and take some refreshment with me. I have wine, tea, and water for your pleasure, plus cake of course. [Casmir nods then selects from refreshment for himself. He refuses my offer to pour…
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“Interview my Character” Blog Hop: Marie-Thérèse Vernhes – archive
Originally posted June 29, 2019 Have a seat, Marie-Thérèse, and thank you for agreeing to this interview. I know you have a busy schedule, and I am humbled that you have taken the time to talk. For the rest of you joining us, I am talking today to Marie-Thérèse Vernhes, a famous opera singer from early 20th century France. There is a new book out now about her life called Overture (L’Alouette trilogy Book 1). Can you tell us a little bit about your author and why she chose to write your story? Thank you for inviting me today, Stephanie. I do indeed have a busy schedule, and in fact, you have…
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Book Inspiration: Raglan Castle
Originally posted April 17, 2019 A velvety wash of twilight purple cloaked the skies from one horizon to the other as our train of horses and palanquins traversed the sloping causeway into Croilton Castle, the ancestral home of the barons of Cilgaron. Royal pennants snapped in the rising winds carrying the tang of the oncoming rains, the musky yet fresh scent of moist air enveloping us as we reached the great gate. I thanked the gods that we arrived to the safety of this bastion just ahead of the downpour. – The King’s Furies, chapter 37 There is no secret that my books feel more historical than fantasy despite the fantasy label.…
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Loving the Enemy: The Seeds of Revolution
Guest post by Dominic Fielder – originally published March 7, 2019 Jekyll and Hyde has been on the GCSE syllabus now for a few years. As much as I enjoy teaching about it, I find myself painfully aware of the brilliance of Robert Louis Stevenson’s prose and his rich vocabulary. Just occasionally I will try and slip ‘slatternly’ and ‘catholicity’ into everyday conversation but you must choose your moments! As the story reaches the final chapter, we at last read Jekyll’s account and begin to feel some sympathy for the man, a luxury never extended to Edward Hyde. Which made me think about the diet of war films and westerns…
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The Year the Swans Came
Originally posted March 5, 2019 Growing up amongst the ruins of war, four siblings use bridges and cobblestone walkways as a backdrop for their games. Pieter Bader, the eldest, wants to follow in the footsteps of his family, designers of mirrors for royalty since the 17th century, while Maidy, the youngest, dreams of becoming a writer. Her best friend Ruth, who lives next door, dreams of marrying Pieter, only for him to vanish from their lives late one night. Is his disappearance linked to the arrival of the swans, feared as cursed and birds of ill-fortune? What will happen when they return six years later, on the morning of Maidy’s sixteenth…
